The Game
by jediya-faith
Summary: Sometimes to get back what is lost...we must fight. A 10/Rose fic. Reviews are love and make us want to keep working on the giant labor of shipper love that ‘The Game’ has become. Like us? We’d really love to know. Love us? We take payments in cookies.
1. Bumpy Landings

The Game

**The Game**

**Chapter One**

**Bumpy Landings**

Stepping out of the Tardis' door, the Doctor glanced around trying to figure out where, when and why he was. It didn't help that he'd set an entirely different co-ordinate but the Tardis had had other ideas, deciding to alter course while still within the Vortex and voila! Here he was...where ever here was.

A young man wanders up to eye the new ship, he is nameless, faceless, that's the best way to be out here, no one knows you, no one can sell your feet out from under you if they don't know you well enough to have a reason to. He watched the man emerge, saw his chance and took it.

"A strange craft you have there stranger."

The Doctor's eyes flicked from the young man to the Tardis, a small grin spreading across his face. "Weeell...it's not much...looks can be deceiving and all that" he intoned, shrugging slightly.  
"Mind you...it still gets me where I need to be..." _'where ever that may be...'_ he added thoughtfully to himself, casting a quirked eyebrow at the Tardis, still wondering what she knew that he didn't.

The young outposter smirked slightly. "A funny time too." This stranger was obviously a fool to come here now, with things coming to such a head. This was a key opportunity and he wasn't about to lose it.

"Oh?" The Doctor quicked an intrigued eyebrow at the man. "Why's that then?"

The outposters' unpleasant grin widened further. Another fool, another stay of execution for the rest of them "You can earn big money on strangers this time 'o year, only a week or so til the game restarts...The Dianarans like to check the outposts for new sport."

The Doctor tilted his head to one side thoughtfully, "Dianarans...Diiiaannarans...why does that sound familiar?" He frowned as he turned the species name over in his mind, before his eyebrows rose at the outposter's words. "Wait! The Game? What type of game?"

The smirk widened to a snarl, and the outposter's tone was dark when he spoke next. "It's almost better if you don't know. That's the thing with The Game, they always need fresh prey." He turned to address the crowd who had begun to gather attracted by the landing of the TARDIS, and the stranger who had come among them. "Isn't that right lads?"

"Really? That's...well...that's interesting...very interesting indeed." The Doctor turned also, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly at the sight of the crowd. "Ahh...weell...hello there.." he said, offering them a small wave and a half grin - at the same time, discreetly checking to see if he could reach the TARDIS if needed.

The man's tone became almost mournful as he continued, aware that the stranger had probably caught on by now. "Not that we want to be taken what with the not coming back and all."

"Don't come back?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes, not liking where this seemed to be heading. He also didn't like the way the crowd were starting to deliberately move between himself and the TARDIS.

A middle aged woman elbows her way through to the front of the crowd, all urgency but when she gets there she stops and eyes the stranger in a practised manner. She is the only person not to have lost a family member to The Game, and views strangers as a farmer might view sheep.

Thrusting his hands into his pockets with a casual air, The Doctor started to edge away from the crowd - and unfortunately further away from the Tardis also. "Weeelll...that's unfortunate to hear" he intoned pleasantly, as if talking about something mundane like the weather. His eyes wandered around, taking in the surroundings, noting a tall electrical pylon directly above the ever-growing crowd. "So. This Game...what's the prize?"

The older woman smirked. "For them prestige, for you...a quick death, if you're lucky" Her tone was frighteningly commonplace, a fact the Doctor didn't miss...or like much.

"For me? Oh noo no...I'm not...a 'game'...type of person" he replied, over exaggerating the word 'game'. "I'm not too keen on death either" he added, thinking now would be a very good time to stop chatting and start running.

The young man stepped forward again, his sorrowful tone a direct contrast to his aggressive body language. "No one is, but the good woman here speaks the truth. No one survives up there."

"That is indeed most unfortunate." Of course the Doctor had never been very good at the whole stop talking thing, and this regeneration was one of the worst for it. "Perhaps there are some authorities I can…talk…to...or an information type individual...maybe there's a programme I can buy?" he spluttered out, casually edging backwards with each word he spoke.

"Little too civilised for them." The woman said her tone dark. She'd sold many and with them her soul to save her husband and sons.

"Oh, is it?" Yep, definitely less chat and more running now. It was quite clear that these individuals were quite happy to hand over any old person to these Dianarans to save their own skins; not that the Doctor couldn't understand this but if they put as much thought into helping others and putting a stop to whatever this 'Game' was, then they would probably not be in this situation. And as much as he wanted to help, he did not want to be 'sold' by these people.

The smiles on the loud man and woman at the front of the crowd widened. "You run you die." Intoned the man.  
"You stay you die" Joined the woman. At this mantra the gathered crowd surged forward, as if whipped wild by the words.

"Oooh...I dunno about that" The Doctor mused, rocking backwards on his heels slightly, "I'm actually very, very, very good at...running." No sooner were the words out of his mouth, he had levelled his sonic screwdriver towards the pylon. The pylon fizzled, sending a shower of sparks down on the crowd below it and the Doctor turned and ran.

"Too little too late friend!" The woman called, as with a whining sound a Dianarian scout ship landed. It was heavy, a dark, sleek metal and armorments were much in evidence. Not a race to be messed with.

The Doctor skidded to a halt as the ship landed, frowning at it as a hint of recognition stirred in his brain. "Ahh! Now that. That...looks familiar."

A Dianarian detatchment leaves the ship. Bullish and well built bipedal approximations of Bull Mastiff dogs left the ship. The one in front, known as The First barked at the assembled, jostling crowd. "We need three. Who submits?"

" Ooohhhh...Dianarians! Canine-Species...ok...not good." The Doctor's eyes had widened as full blown recognition flooded his brain and he grimaced - this was not going to be a pleasant experience. Now if he could just avoid saying something offensive, he should be perfectly fine. He quirked an eyebrow at The First's choice of wording, "Excuse me. Yes, Hello...ahh...what exactly would they be submitting to..?"

The Dinanaria lunged at The Doctor, his ravenous smile trailing strings of drool. "An honourable death, little man"

"Ohhh, I don't think so" he deftly moved out of the Dianarian's reach, holding up the sonic screwdriver threateningly. "And little man!? I'll have you know that I've been much smaller than this before," he added in an indignant tone.

The Danarian waved a large electricity based weapon at The Doctor. "Mine's bigger."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and groaned. "Oh it's always about size isn't it...no matter the species." He was quite glad Jack wasn't around anywhere, he could just imagine what the American would come out with in response to this conversation.

The Dianarian shrugged and turned away, snapping orders to his team, with an almost careless flick of the wrist. "Seize two more...and this one...he'll make an interesting addition."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the Doctor replied, all traces of humour gone from his face as his eyes narrowed and jaw set.

The First rolled his eyes, and watched as five of his team broke off and seized the man and woman who had been taunting The Doctor. Five more broke off to deal with the man himself.

The Doctor backed up another couple of steps, as the five approached. "I'm guessing we can't talk about this?" he offered with a sheepish grin, figuring he couldn't pull the pylon trick twice in one day.

The woman turned to glare at the Doctor before turning to plead with the First "We gave you an off worlder two cycles ago...I hear she's still going strong"

The First sneered. "And last cycle you were let off, not this one I grow sick of your whining."

"You gave them an off-worlder?" The Doctor wasn't particularly surprised that he had been correct in his assumption that these people would gladly hand over a stranger to save their own hides, but it wasn't a comforting thought and he wondered who and what this off-worlder was.

A Dianarian who was holding the Doctor spoke almost conversationally, even as he moved his prisoner along. "Pretty little thing, strong...convinced someone's going to save her...the tonics are taking care of that...Now move."

"Tonics? You drug them?" The Doctor exclaimed, planted his feet firmly in the ground to stop from being moved. "That's hardly sporting" he added, tilted his head to one side, "although...this whole thing doesn't sound at all sporting to me."

The Dianarian guard growled. "Move!"

"I'm sorry, did you say something? Must've been speaking out of my hearing range? Or would that be me speaking out of your hearing range?" The Doctor mentally grimaced, so much for not saying anything offensive.

The young man who had started all this leaned forward and hissed at the Doctor "Move, or they'll kill you anyway and take another one of us."

The Doctor's eyebrows rose, for one thing he really didn't want to die in that way in this body - what a stupid way to die that would be, tenth body talked self into being shot to death - but also what would he accomplish by letting them take another? Not a great deal...except for adding more guilt, which he was carrying an awful lot around of late anyway.  
"Weeeell...when you put it like that...take me to your leader?" he said the latter to the Dianarians with his best grin. "Oh no! I've used that once already! Ahh well...can never over do a cliché I guess" he added with a sheepish shrug.

The Dianarian First led the unit and their three new prisoners into the hold of the ship and once the new 'cargo' had be loaded, he buzzed the pilot. "Full load for today, to the containment carrier."


	2. Never Hopeless

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Never Hopeless**

Rose Tyler woke suddenly, jerking up from the filthy straw in the cell, calling out to the person who tormented her dreams. "Doctor?" He wouldn't have known her, she was sure. Her body and face were a mess of cuts and bruises, she was filthy and several of her old wounds were already settling to scars.

"The doctors don't come unless you're unconscious or dying...or dead" a voice intoned from the corner of cell. It was the tone of someone who had been through his conversation before and didn't really want to again. The voice belonged to a young woman, who at first glance could easily be mistaken for a human but the slight silver sheen to her skin; and to the blood that could be seen oozing slightly from cuts that hadn't yet healed; signified that she was not but was in fact an Argentian. "You should know that by now."

Rose's voice shook, as she responded, to wake up and still be here, still here after so long, it was devastating. "It's just...third cycle. I would have thought he'd be here by now."

**  
**"_He _being the mysterious "Doctor" you keep going on about that will arrive and save the day." The sarcasm was evident in her voice, even without the way she made inverted commas with her fingers as she said 'Doctor' or the fact she rolled her icy blue eyes. "Does he have no concept of time?"

Rose choked on a laugh, in her heart of hearts she knows her cell mate, and friend is right, he's not coming and they'll all die here, but somehow it's enough to keep her alive a little longer if she refused to let him go. "Oh more than you could possibly imagine" Her voice is soft, a gentle memory that refuses to remain with her "...but now I don't know what if we die before he gets here?"****

The Argentian shifted slightly, regarding Rose with a skeptical expression. "I think they're giving you waaaaay too many tonics," she said, her tone edging towards teasing and she quirked a wry smile, "either that or they're giving me too few."

Rose chuckled and shifted upright, flinching as a wound caught the wall she put her weight on to. "You're too well behaved, break a few snouts, they'll soon up your doses."

The other woman's face turned somber and she glanced down at her hands. "Unlike you, I have resigned myself to my fate" she said softly, "maybe I'll get lucky and I'll get a quick death this cycle" she added, her voice taking on a haunted edge to it and she let out a tired sigh.

Rose looked at her friend, trying to figure out how to respond to this. She opted for the truth. "I'm not ready yet. I can't give up...how can you?"

"This'll be my fifth cycle" was the weary reply, "I'm tired of it all." Her pale blue eyes flicked over to look at Rose, sympathy shimmering within them. "Don't worry, if you don't die this time, you'll be feeling how I am very soon."

"Something must have kept you running for five Bree?" Rose said softly, aware that this was a conversation her cellmate wouldn't want to have, but perhaps needed to.

Bree sighed, dropping her gaze back down to her hands. "My brother" she said simply, after a moment's silence. "I got caught on purpose, submitted, in hopes of finding him and rescuing him."

Rose's breath caught in her throat "He's dead?"

Bree nodded, "last cycle," she said, her voice catching as she spoke. She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to keep her composure. "It wasn't quick or painless either."

"How..."

"They dismembered him...alive." Bree's reply was flat and emotionless, as she stared at the far wall. "Shared the winnings...per body part" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "it's the silver in our blood...makes us more valuable."

Rose's breath shook, as she replied. "I'm sorry, if I could have stopped this I would." It was all she could offer and it was empty. The more time she spent here the more empty her attempts to change things became, but it was all she could give, and until she died, she meant it. She would keep trying.

"But you can't" Bree replied softly, offering the young human a small reassuring smile - hoping to ease her mind. "What's done is done...and now, I am resigned to my fate. As there is no means of escape...I hope for death." A wry grin suddenly spread across her face. "But maybe I can take a few of them with me, as I go."

Rose cracked a fiery grin. "You and me both, if it comes to that, but it won't he will come!" Her expression clouded for a moment, as a terrible thought crossed her mind. "I don't even know if I'll know him when he does."

Bree let out a rather undignified snort at that and shook her head. "Well, unless you're imaginary 'Doctor' turns up soon...I wish you good luck for the game" she said, her tone light and teasing, despite the fact she called the 'Doctor' imaginary. She actually wanted to believe that someone who could help them would come but after five cycles, hope just wasn't in her vocabulary anymore.

"And you too" Rose sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, battling to keep her tone hopeful. "We have another day at least...and that typhoid outbreak cleared up."

"Indeed," was all Bree muttered, resting her head back against the wall.

Rose went into something not dissimilar to stream of consciousness babble. "Did you ever imagine you would say that? Like it being gone is a plus, not that ever having it was a big minus, just a conversational thing, like the weather?" She sighed and stared off into the distance, at nothing. "He always does this you know? You're sure you're about to die and he turns up and saves the day...don't be surprised if he's quoting musicals and wearing a dressing gown."

Bree quirked an eyebrow, having only been half listening; being used to her friend's random babbles every now and then; she was quite confused to hear her last words. That was, until she realized who she was talking about. "Does he always have such an odd dress sense?"

"Just last time he regenerated he got sick, so I...put him to bed I suppose, last time I saw him he was in a brown suit and baseball boots...and he caused me to hate the words 'quite right too'." Rose replied. The memory stung, as it always did. It bought a surge of grief for the man she first met, and for the man she'd fallen in love with, who left her standing on a beach, with a piece of her soul torn out, a tear that she couldn't seem to heal.

"Regenerated?" Bree found herself asking, her brow furrowing in confusion at the unusual word.

Rose shut her eyes and tried to explain, knowing how weird it would sound, it still sounded odd to her, almost as if she might have imagined him. "He doesn't always look the same, if something happens and he dies he comes back looking like someone else...I hope he still looks like him"

Bree blinked trying to process through her brain what she had just heard through her ears. "Are you sure you weren't on any tonics _before_ they captured you?" she asked, skeptism evident upon her face.

Rose chuckled. "I'm absolutely sure." She placed her hand on her heart and tried to look contrite, which just made Bree snort and laugh slightly.

"Right" she intoned, lengthening the word and shaking her head. "Well, don't mind me if I don't believe it until I see it."

"I didn't at first" Rose agreed, "But that's the thing with Timelords, they aren't like anything else."

"What's one of them then?" Bree asked, genuinely intrigued. "Can't say I've heard of that species before," she continued, running the name over in her mind trying to think if she'd heard of it at all. "Must be either a pretty new one or...a pretty old one."

"It's a very old species, and there's only him left anyway." Rose explained. She noticed that during her explanation she switched to her work voice. Torchwood had changed her, made her smarter, stronger and faster, given her the skills she needed to stay alive for so long in here, and given her a work voice.

Bree's eyebrows shot up and her head snapped round to level Rose with a serious expression. "Well you better hope he doesn't turn up here then" she said firmly, lowering her voice suddenly worried someone might overhear.

"I think he has to, if we're going to get out of this alive." Rose replied gently.

"From what you're suggesting..." Bree trailed off and sighed, her eyes flicking around before falling back upon Rose, "he's rare. They'll slap a hefty prize on him if they get their paws on him. Probably shoot him up with extra tonic to keep him less lucid." She paused, taking to time to think before she spoke again. "I've been here a long time - Rarities are exploited, they make sure they survive a good number of cycles to draw in the big hunters. Rarities often go crazy, Rose."

Rose nodded grimly "Well then, if he does show up, I'm going to need to get my gun back."


	3. Of Medics and Mirages

Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Of medics and mirages**

Once on the prey containment ship all cargo travels the same route, first to the long suffering medics, before being presented to the Visier, if they were unusual enough to merit his time.  
On this particular day, The Doctor was presented to an unusually bemused Medic, a Springer Spaniel faced creature, who spoke with the First as if The Doctor were some rare butterfly.  
"I can't place this one...it's anotomy is strange...it's not built for fighting."

"Not exactly state of the art," The Doctor commented to no-one in particular as he glanced around the room. "Mind you...I guess it's not a hospital or clinic is it?" he added, flashing a grin at the guard hovering by his shoulder. He glanced over at the Medic and the First, tilting his head to one side as he caught the words spoken. "Maybe your scanner's outdated? Although, it is true, I'm really not into fighting. I'm more of a pacifist."

The First snickered as he heard this, and the Medic glared before shooing him out of the door. Once the soldier had gone the Medic spoke with The Doctor properly, showing his true colours.  
"I help where I can, but you may not survive long. However, I have been proved wrong on occasion. The offworlders have a much stronger will to live, you see."

"Depends where they're from I guess" The Doctor replied with a shrug, not missing the change in the man...dog...Dianarian. "But you do find that."

"Ahh, yes...we have a little girl from Earth, such will. I didn't even think she'd last the training, but she's still here." The Medic replied happily.

"Earth girl?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose in surprise, wondering if this was the off-worlder that had been mentioned earlier. "Weeeeell, humans...particularly Earth born...very strong willed" he said, affection evident in his tone.

The Medic chuckled "They can't all be like this one...I honestly didn't think they'd let her live past headbutting the grand Visier but they seem to have done."

"Headbutting the Grand Visier?" The Doctor's quirked a amused eyebrow and clucked his tongue, "Ha! Sounds like a something someone I once knew would do..." He trailed off, his face instantly softening into a sombre expression. "But it couldn't be her of course."

The Medic turned an eye to the tests monitoring his patient's reactions, and smiled slightly. "Pupil dilation, increased heartbeat...heartbeats...a mate perhaps?"

"Well, yes, a mate but..." The Doctor stopped short, eyes widening in realisation. "Ooooohhh! You...you...you mean a _mate,_ mate. Oh, no..no...no...no...we travelled together..." he spluttered out, eyes widening even more as he spoke.

"The reactions must be different in your species." The Medic said gently, letting the matter drop.

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Weeelll...yes...I guess...possibly...maybe..." He shook his head, coughed to clear his throat and quickly changed the subject. "Soooo, what's this 'Game' I've heard so many pleasant and wonderful things about?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

The Medic looked away, his tone become brisk and detached again, when he spoke. A coping mechanism. "It is a tournament of sorts...the winner has the largest claim."

"Largest claim? What Type of tournament?" The Doctor asked, although he was relatively certain he'd already figured that part out but just wanted confirmation. He frowned at at the machines monitoring the tests upon him. "And do you have to do so many scans?"

The Medic spoke absently, as if he'd had this conversation too many times and it never made any difference. "The largest number of kills wins."

"Ahh. So, it's a hunt" The Doctor muttered, more to himself than to the Medic. "Hmm, but what are they hunting...and who are the hunters?" he continued, his voice rising in volume as he spoke. He quirked an eyebrow at the Medic, "you never answered my question about the scans."

The Medic shook his head, and his tone was sad and heavy as he answered. "No fun if you can't run, and species need to be valued... but when you come down to it, you're all prey, the girl, you, prey."

The Doctor's eyes darkened and his face lost all trace of amusement at those words. "Ah. Well. Now that. That I can't let carry on" he said firmly, staring straight into the Medic's eyes. Just as quickly as his face had changed expression from amused to serious, it did so again, as indignance flitted across his features. "And did they really have to take my coat...I like that coat."

The Medic sighed seeming to become irritated. "It'll be in the archive...with everything else."

"The archive? Where's that then?"

"Below." The Medic answered shortly, draining the contents of a small phial into a syringe. "A tonic to induce silence I'd say"

The Doctor blinked, eyeing the syringe with obvious dislike. "Oh, nah, I think I'll pass on the tonics."

"Not a choice."

"Ahh." The Doctor blinked, hoping he could talk the Medic out of injecting him with anything - after all, there was no telling what these 'tonics' would do to his physiology. "Surely they're not needed? I mean, wouldn't be very sporting now would it...drugging the 'prey'."

"Not my decision"

"You know, you're a very talkative person" The Doctor said dryly. "Can you stop scanning me now?" He asked hopefully. He changed tact, opting to change the subject and hope the Medic would just forget about the tonic. "How many different species are kept here anyway?"

"1700"

A frown creased the Doctor's brow, "and, how many individuals altogether?" he asked, slightly wary of the answer.

"14892, unless we've had any deaths today."

The Doctor blew out a breath, his eyebrows rising slightly. "That's...that's a lot of people..." He ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. "Hmm...explains why I landed here of all places then."

This held the Medic's interest. "Why does it?"

"Ohhh...people in need and all that" The Doctor replied casually, his eyes wandering back to the syringe still in the Medic's hand. "Sooo...do they mix species or only keep the same species together?" he asked, trying to get as much information about the facility as possible.

The Medic misunderstood, possibly wilfully. "They want for nothing but life...and we mix, species but not genders...we have had _incidences._"

"I imagine a lot would want for freedom also," the Doctor replied in a matter-of-fact tone. He frowned slightly and then his eyebrows rose as he worked out what the Medic meant, "Ahh, yes. Incidences. Of course."

"Indeed" The Medic intoned dryly.

"You reeeallly don't talk much do you?" The Doctor responded in an equally dry tone.

The Medic's tone was almost hopeless in response. " Why bother? You won't live more than a week"

"Oh, you'd be pretty surprised at my knack for staying alive" The Doctor replied with an off-hand shrug.

"And theirs for killing" The Medic stared speculatively at the needle in his hand and placed it suddenly on the tray, a decision made, and a dangerous one at that. "Off to the Viser with you, he likes to see off worlders"

The Doctor eyed the needle, quite happy to see it placed back on the tray and gave the Medic a small nod of gratitude. "Oh he does does he? I'll be sure to give my very best hello then."

The Medic chuckled. "Be sure to be standing a decent distance away. His nose is still healing and he's in a terrible mood. Very snappy." He gave a brief smile, and hit a key in the console at his side, relaying that the new offworlder was ready to be taken to the Visier, if someone would kindly come and fetch it.

"Oh, I'm used to people in bad moods...usually I cause them. Should I take a rolled up newspaper?" The Doctor quipped, before frowning, "oh, wait, you probably wouldn't get that...never mind." He looked up as a couple of guards walked back in. "Oh hello. So, I take it I can't just waltz up to see the Visier by myself then hmm?"

"It's not recommended, no, and I hope your tonic works." The Medic sent up a silent prayer that the prisoner would understand and play along.

The Doctor scowled at the guards as they grabbed a hold of him and practically hurled him up off he bed. The fact that he was too busy struggling to loosen their hold was the reason he missed the tone of the Medic's words. "Tonic? What tonic? I thought we were passing on the tonics," he spluttered out, struggling some more. "I'm quite capable of moving by myself."

The Medic shut his eyes for an agonised second, silently cursing the struggling prisoner as his mind race. "The one that I gave you." He ground out between his teeth, before making a desperate attempt to stall the guard. "This one is deficient, take his Lordship something else to play with."

"OI! I am not deficient...that's just uncalled for..." The Doctor began in protest, finally glancing up to throw a scowl at the Medic. It was then he realised what the Medic had been trying to do and he snapped his mouth shut; yet again, inwardly rolling his eyes at this regenerations gift for gab.

The Medic watched his heart sinking as the Guard cottoned on, and lunged for the Medic, tearing a lump of fur and skin from the loose ruff at the back of his neck. Ashamed but aware of his position, the Medic yelped and cowered. The guard grinned at his own bulling superiority and snarled. "Just drug it, you were told to stop helping the prey."

"Hey now! Leave him alone!" The Doctor cried, trying to free himself from the tight hold and help the Medic. He inwardly cursed himself for not paying attention and getting the Medic onto trouble.

The Guard ignored him, and snatched up the first ready prepared syringe he came to, leaving the Medic's original choice on it's metal tray. He plunged the needle into the Doctor and gleefully hit the plunger, even as the Medic rose and administered a second tonic. The right tonic.

The Doctor struggled harder in the guards' grip, trying to get away from the needles that held unknown substances. "Hey, hey, hey...what the hell was that!?" His voice rose in volume and pitch, squeaking slightly on a few words.

The Medic spoke gently. "My draught will quieten you down a little...the other..." He sighed. "Just don't believe anything that you see or hear for a while."

"A hallucinogen!? You gave me a hallucinogen?" The Doctor cried, glaring at the guards. Oh this couldn't be good. Who knew what, or who, he could end up hallucinating.

On the third floor Rose was being hauled from her cell and marched, through winding metal corridors, mesh floor hitting her battered and burned feet, none too gently in the direction of the Visier's chamber, while from the opposite direction the Doctor was getting similar treatment.

"There really was no need to do that, I mean, I'm sure we could've talked about it." The Doctor stammered, as the guards shoved him along. He swallowed and let out a small cough, rubbing absently at his throat. "I mean, really, just jabbing me with any old syringe..."

"...Give me back my gun and touch that again, I dare you" Rose was close to incandescent with rage, and a fresh cut in her eyebrow showed the guard was not impressed.  
She was shoved through a large door and unable to catch herself with her wrists and ankles chained, she fell in a heap in front of The Visier. She glared up at the hated pug face, suppressing a grin at the mess of bandages on his ugly nose.

The Doctor let out a gasp as he landed painfully on his knees, scowling up at the guard who had seen fit to shove him hard in the back. "You like to manhandle don't you...man's best friend? Not that I can see."

"Why would we be?" The Visier drawled.

Across the room, with a none to graceful clanking of chains, Rose dragged herself upright. There was a man in the room, she knew that and he sounded so much like the Doctor she could have cried. She steeled herself and ignored him, the tonics they kept her on meant she always thought it was him, finally come. It never was, and she wasn't sure she could take the heartbreak of that realisation again. So, she fought every natural impulse, and ignored his presence, however much it killed her to do it. Again and again and again.

The Doctor turned at the sound of the chains. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. It couldn't be...could it? He blinked at the blonde human as she was shoved closer. He opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut with a shake of his head. _'Don't be such an idiot...alternate universe remember?' _he mentally reprimanded himself for the foolish thought.  
"Fast acting tonic...already seeing figments" he muttered under his breath, before turning his attention to the Visier and quirking an eyebrow. "Oh I don't know...dog...man...I guess you've never been to Earth then?"

Rose turned to look at her companion. "God you even sound right." She fought to keep her voice even, and lost. "It's never been so good as to make people sound right before." She blinked and passed a hand over her eyes, before turning her gaze on the Visier and smirking at him. "How's your nose?" At a look from The Visier she was struck down in a clatter of chains.

The Doctor frowned at the girl. "I what?" he blinked in confusion at her words and then shook his head, pulling his eyes away from the young human. "Ok, I'm talking to a..." he broke off into a small coughing fit, swallowing a couple of times to try at ease the uncomfortable feeling that was taking up residence in his throat at that particular moment. "Hallucination...that's new. OI!" He scowled at the guards as they hit her, "leave my hallucination alone!"

But Rose was not beaten, she struck out hard with her chained hands, catching the guard in the face "I've lived through three cycles. I WILL NOT die for a broken...is it even a nose?"

"Ooohhh, I see" The Doctor exclaimed, nodded absently to himself. "You're the Earth girl who headbutted him" he said, pointing at the Visier and tilting his head to regard the human. "Add hallucinogen, and I see you as Rose!" A grin spread across his face, seemingly pleased with himself for rationalising why he was 'seeing' Rose Tyler when she couldn't possibly be there. He broke off into another coughing fit, his eyes watering once it had passed. "And, evidently, I'm developing a cough."

Rose threw herself away from her jailer, the intervening scuffle meant she hadn't heard him, if she had...  
She moved close enough to put her lips to his ear. "_Help us!_" A yank on the chains sent her sprawling again, and the guard dragged her upright and hauled her away.

Blinking in confusion, the Doctor watched the guards drag her away. She'd asked for help. Mind you, that was why he was here wasn't it? To Help.  
Once the human was out of his line of sight, even though he could still hear the scuffle of her struggling in the chains, he turned his attention towards the Visier. "So...I hear you get beat up by a girl. A little human girl at that." He quirked an eyebrow, taking in the Visier's appearance. "Don't think it improved your face much though...unless...it was worse than that _before _she headbutted you?"

The Visier snarled. "The human tops the hunt now. She will die next cycle." Rarity aside this was a punishment, real and terrifying.

"Oh, that's a bit harsh. I thought it was a survival type game...tournament...thing." The Doctor rubbed at his throat again and frowned. It felt like his throat was trying to close up and his brain seemed to be finding it harder to think of the right words - or at least, let the words reach his mouth.

"The girl had a chance to live, to live in luxury..." The Visier gestured to his broken snout. "...She chose this instead, chose to die." There was a grim satisfaction in his voice. He was a being who was not used to being turned down, and even less used to being attacked by the prey. He felt sure her death would restore his bruised pride and teach a lesson to others. The worse her death, the better.

"Hmm, freedom...locked up for rest of life," the Doctor held out his hands as if weighing imaginary scales, moving his head from side to side with a mock thoughtful expression upon his face. "Nope, I can't see that she made the wrong choice there."

"For all your front, you cannot help her, and to emulate her is to suffer."

"You'd be...sur..prised.." The Doctor rasped out. He frowned at the way his voice was starting to give out. Obviously the Medic hadn't be joking about that particular tonic being one that would quieten him.

"I very much doubt it." The Visiers tone was dismissive, and waving one fat paw to the guards, he turned away. "Remove it, it bores me."

"Oi! Now just one minute...I am not an _it!_" The Doctor exclaimed, attempting to shrug off the guards as they grabbed hold of him and hauled him to his feet.

The Guard snickered. "You won't be anything soon enough."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Charming," he uttered dryly, before coughing again. "I don't s'pose there's any chance of a drink? My throat feels like it's...like it's...umm..it's." He frowned, blinking several times in utter confusion. He could not seem to form the word he wanted to say.

"And what did you see? My little potion working yet?" The guard asked, his tone curious.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but snapped it shut after words failed him. He glowered at the guard, realising it was the one who had injected him with the hallucinogen. He tried again to say something but all that came out was an exasperated noise; somewhere between a sigh and a growl.

"The little girl, seemed to know you, it was very moving."

The Doctor frowned in confusion and shook his head. "Hallucination.." he managed to croak out. The girl hadn't known him...had she? No, he'd been hallucinating that bit. He rolled his eyes - yes, and the guard probably noticed that. After all, he'd said allowed that he was hallucinating her as Rose and now the guard was playing with his befuddled mind. Well, it wouldn't work. He wouldn't be manipulated by the Dianarians.

"She's always looked like that, part of the reason his Lordship always wanted her." The guards' tone became conversational.

Despite the fact he'd just told himself he wouldn't be manipulated, the Doctor couldn't stop the stray thought that maybe...just maybe...he had been her. "Rose?" he uttered softly, so softly that it was barely audible. But then...Dianarians were canine in appearance, so one would assume that their hearing was as acute.

"Mmm, looking for some Medic no...Doctor...when she was picked up."

At that, the Doctor's eyes went impossibly wide and he actually turned to look at the guard. He shook his head, wait...no. What if...what if he was hallucinating this conversation with the guard? What if the guard was saying something entirely different to what he was hearing? Or, maybe he was just interpreting his words incorrectly. Lots of people look for doctors.  
He shook his head and decided to try and find more information about this human girl. It couldn't hurt - he may not actually know her, but she had asked for help.  
"How...?" he managed to breath out, hoping the guard realised that he was asking how the human got 'picked up'.

The guard shrugged. "She was just there...Lost I think, she was handed in and we only had one space left so the outpost came away clean."

"How...how..ahh.." The Doctor stopped a moment, his brow creasing in concentration with the effort of trying to get his brain to co-operate with his voice. "How long?"

"Third cycle comin' up. so eighty days."

"Oh." Was all the Doctor could manage or even think of saying in response to that.

"Ahh, but she won't live through this one, run out of hope...They all do."

"Where..." he licked his lips, in a vain hope that that would help him regain his speech. "Is..she?"

"Female cells, level three, not where you're going."

He quirked an eyebrow at the guard. "Where? Umm...am...am I going?"

"Male cells on one...and the Visier wants that one anyway."

"Wha?" The Doctor rolled his eyes at the incoherent question. It had been much longer and specific in his head. Something about why the Visier found the human so fascinating. He shook his head and let his eyes wander around the corridor that they were currently walking along. "Umm...which lev..level...now?"

"We're on six" The Guard eyed his charge, and allowed curiosity to win out "Your little human...she important or something? It's a long walk and I like a good story."

The Doctor nodded. So they were on level six going to level one, which meant they had to pass through the majority of the facility. Taking this into account, he made certain to memorise the layout as they moved. At the guard's question he frowned. Normally he would gladly babble away, giving the guard a 'good story' but with the tonic...  
"Tonic" he said, gesturing to his throat and head, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Umm...well...she...she's...special..." he added softly, it wouldn't do any harm to talk about Rose - just as long as he didn't start believing the hallucinations.

"You loved her or somethin'?"

The Doctor's breath caught in his throat and he quickly looked down as his feet. After a while, he gave a small shrug and the tiniest of nods. "May..be" he murmured, he really didn't want to think about it. It hurt too much.

The guard's expression softened. "Then, I'm sorry."

The Doctor frowned at the guard's expression. It reminded him of the way the Medic had acted when there were no guards around. "Why...why...do you..?" He let out an exasperated breath, running an agitated hand through his hair. It was frustrating. He knew what he wanted to say but it just wouldn't come out. "You...you seem...umm.."

The guard shrugged "You do what you have to, to survive." His tone was low and bitter.

"Not. This." The Doctor replied, biting out the words firmly.

"They die, or we die...it's not normal to care, like the Medic and me, you stand up for the prey, you become the prey."

"Surely...you...you...could do...something?" Did that mean others had done something before? Maybe years ago...and were probably made examples of. Scare tactics - make all the 'do-gooders' wary of actually helping. "I...I can...help."

The guard let out an indelicate sound. "You can't even save the girl..." He turned his captive by the shoulders and pointed him to a circular 'arena below.  
Rose stepped out flanked by two guards, but not fighting. Her shoulders were back and her head was high.

The Doctor's eyes widened at the sight and he instinctively made to move off in the direction that would take him down to the arena. Unfortunately, he was forgetting about on very important thing. That he was, in fact, a prisoner.

His guard restrained him, and spoke in a low tone. "Routine training, just watch." Three young Dianarian's entered the arena and were dealt with in short, graceful order. Not for the first time, Rose silently thanked Torchwood for her two years of combat training. A fourth Dianaran entered, not a weedy trainee this time, and Rose was brought down, bloodied, after a spirited noisy fight, which left the older Dianaran with the smell of the blood of two species in his nostrils.

From above, the Doctor tried to break the guard's hold, not wanting to watch when he could be helping. He frowned at the young human as she fought. She looked like Rose but it wasn't her. He had to keep reminding himself it was the blasted hallucingen.

"It begins again tomorrow" The Guard muttered watching the spectacle lazily.

The Doctor turned his attention back to the guard, quirking an eyebrow at him. "To..morrow?"

"Tomorrow"

"How...how does...it...it...work?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Barely withheld frustration creeping across his features.

"They'll hunt her a pack, ten days ten nights she lives she gets 20 days and nights rest and it begins again...it'll continue in that pattern until she dies." The guard explained, his tone detached

The Doctor winced and glanced back down into the arena, before turning his attention back to the guard. "Same...with...others? Me?" He asked, even though he figured the answer would be one he already knew.

"In time, be thankful for your build, you're a little scrawny now." There's a sharp snap and a cry from below them. The shackles have been over tightened and torn Rose's skin. Again.

Ignoring the slight at his build - even though the Doctor knew it was an advantage, let them under-estimate him due to his outward appearance - he struggled again to free himself from he guard's hold. He put a little more force into it this time. Maybe if he could get down to the arena, he could at least spare the human woman some pain.

"Just leave it!"

The only response was a glare from dark brown eyes.

" She's been waiting eighty days for this Doctor to save her, most don't make it past the first twenty." The guard explained gently.

The Doctor sagged in the guard's grip at his words. Letting out a small sigh. Was that what his mind thought? That if Rose had somehow been here, she'd be waiting hopelessly for him to come along and save her? Was that what she was thinking in the alternate reality? He shook his head to try and clear the thoughts from his mind.

"If you ever find the real girl, just tell her. Come, you need to be in a cell."


	4. Plotting

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Plotting  


Bree watched with pale observant eyes, as the guards dumped Rose unceremoniously on the floor of the cell. She gave them a wide berth as they moved to leave. Only once they had relocked the door and moved off down the corridor did she move over to her friend's side. "More training?" she uttered softly, tilting her head to one side to better study the other woman's appearance. "The Visier's losing his patience with you it would seem," she added, helping Rose sit up and lean against the far wall of the cell.

Rose choked out a laugh. "He can, I'll just hit him again." She turned her face from her friend as she battled to keep control, eventually giving in and letting her tears flow silently.

Bree chuckled, "I'm sure you will. But what happened to staying alive?" The Argentian frowned and cocked her head to the side, trying to get a look at her friend's face. "Wait. Are you...you're crying?" She said in a semi-questionable tone, genuinely shocked to see the tears running down Rose's face.

"I saw him...he didn't even look at me...Even my ghosts don't smile. This place has won. I'm insane." Rose sobbed out the words, as if something had broken inside her.

"You are not insane. It's the hallucinogens, you must remember this" Bree said firmly, gripping Rose by the shoulders. She had seen too many others go down this path before and she wouldn't let this human suddenly change. "Where did you see him this time?" she asked, quirking a questioning eyebrow.

"Visier's office" Her tone was wretched, and lost "...normally he at least looks at me."

"The Visier's?" Bree's eyebrows rose at this. "Was he acknowledged? Maybe it was a new addition? It is not unheard of for the hallucinogens to make us see another as someone we once knew." Though her words were meant as comfort and rationalisation for her friend, Bree's expression became sombre at her own experiences of believing everyone had been her brother. And then when she had found her brother, she had dismissed him as a mere figment. She would not tell Rose this fact though - for this was the real reason she had lost her will to survive. She had dismissed her real brother and it had cost him his life.

"Perhaps, but perhaps...Is it time to give up Bree?"

The Argentian sighed, ducking her head. "That would depend entirely on you. You know my thoughts on the matter of survival."

"Is it worth it?"

"What has happened in the past hours that has changed you're outlook so much?" Bree asked, frowning at the other woman in confusion and sympathy. You never used to ask such questions."

Rose's reply was soft, and shaky, as if her next words hurt to say. "I realised something...He's not coming, he never was, he never will...there is no rescuer. The only ones that can save us...are us, and we're broken."

Bree turned Rose's words over in her mind for a moment. Her previous life as a fighter briefly showing through the hopelessness. "If we're talking numbers...prey have the upper hand," she said softly, lowering her voice. It was dangerous to talk of such things. "But will wise? I do not think many would risk such a thing."

"Why? No one else is going to save us and we're going to die anyway." Rose's voice was tinged with scorn. Not of the others, but of the situation.

"Fear mainly," Bree replied simply with a shrug. "And the tonics keep those most likely to attempt something non-lucid and just on the edge of insane" she added, her gaze passing knowingly over the other woman.

"There has to be a way to stop taking them?" Rose became silent then, turning ideas over in her mind before she hit on a fairly workable one. "I need to be worse than this, get to the medical station...hit me!"

"And what do you plan to do once there...Although..." Bree trailed off, a thoughtful expression gracing her once elegant features. "There is a medic. He tries his best but, the guards keep tighter tabs on him now. He used to not give tonics or give weaker versions." She smiled softly, "he was the one who got me off the hallucinogen." She shook her head to clear that particular train of thought and turned serious eyes on Rose. "Now, if he fails to administer the correct tonics the guards take matters into their own hands. They administer any tonic they can get their hands on." Her face fell, brow furrowing with sympathy, "that was what those deaths were last week."

"I still have to try Bree, he's the one I have to get to." Rose's tone was determined, a grin lit her face again. "If he helped you off them, then maybe he can do the same for me."

"And what if you find yourself in the hands of another Medic?"

"Do what I always do." She cracked her knuckles and smiled grimly.

"Indeed." The Argentian quirked an eyebrow, "is this really what you want?"

"I'd rather die trying to leave than just die."

"Very well." Bree nodded, before quirking a wry smile. "Though, I hope you do not hold this against me?"

Rose grinned at her friend who in three long months had become almost family "Course not."

Bree nodded again. "Unconsciousness always has them dashing over," she mused softly, a glint of mirth evident in her pale eyes. "I wish you luck my friend."

"Idiots" Rose responded, and impulsively dragged her friend into a hug, before stepping a few paces back and opening her arms wide, "Bring it!"

Bree rolled her eyes in exasperated amusement at the young human. She curled her hand into a fist and swung one solid punch, connecting with Rose's temple with enough force to send her into brief unconsciousness.


	5. The Trouble with Ghosts

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The trouble with ghosts**

The Doctor decided he really didn't like tonics. Nope not one bit. Especially hallucinogens. He had spent the past hour fretting at the sound of something he really hated hearing. It was only after the third _EX-TER-MIN-ATE_ that he had realized it was the tonic causing the sounds and not a dalek hiding somewhere in the cell. So this was why he was now sat with his back against the wall, head down and eyes fixed firmly on his own hands. Determined not to look up and acknowledge any hallucinations.

_'Well done sunshine!'_

Of course, some hallucinations were harder to ignore than others. His head snapped up and he blinked at the red-headed woman standing in front of him, hand on hips and looking rather...well...annoyed really. "Don…na?" He asked before he could stop himself. "Ok. Not...real."

_'I did not want to die like that, those things were disgusting!'_

Die. Yes, Donna Noble - born in Chiswick - died while traveling with him. Which meant. She wasn't here now. It was just the tonic messing with his head. "I...refuse...to ack...ackn..." He groaned. And then there was the other tonic that wouldn't allow him to voice the words he wanted to say. "Talk to a...fig…ment."

_'Well, I'll talk to you mate...you never told me I'd die!"_

He frowned at that, flicking his eyes to look at the woman - dressed in the clothes she died in...typical. He shook his head and stared straight forward at the wall opposite him. He wasn't going to give in to the tonic within his system. If he was going to be any use to the species being kept in this facility, then he'd just have to ignore this figment.

  
_'I mean it won't be quiet and it won't be safe...would have been nice to know, that's all the warning you need!'_

"What...did...you...expect?" The Doctor ground out, not doing a very good job of ignoring Donna. No. Not Donna. A figment.

'_Sightseeing, shopping, maybe a suntan!'_

He rolled his eyes at that. That actually could have been something she would have said. "Why?" So much for not talking to the hallucination.

_'Well I didn't expect you to lose two of us'_

That got his attention and he snapped his head round to stare at her. "Shut. Up" he ground out, actually daring her to say something else. Which was foolish in its self, she was a hallucination for crying out loud. He was technically telling himself to shut up. Which was ironic considering he'd already been given a tonic to do just that. He squeezed his eyes shut, maybe if he kept them closed she'd just go away.

And so she did, but the replacement, was far worse. _'And now you're thinking you're seeing me, and her, what if poor Rosie's dead too? Love of your life...all gone'_

The Doctor's hearts clenched and just for a moment he forgot to breathe. Why him? Why did his mind have to conjure up him of all people. Well, ok, so he probably knew why but still. He cracked an eyelid and sure enough there he was leaning casually against the wall in the very suit he'd been shot in. With that smug grin upon his face.  
"No" he breathed out. Just because he was seeing a couple of talkative ghosts, did not mean that Rose was dead too. "And...you." He glared hard at the other man. "Are...not...real."

_'Who isn't? You should say my name just like you did when I was alive...though really this is more fun...I wonder how she died? Bet it was painful...and lonely. Do you think she called your name? Names...so powerful"_

"Stop. It." He rubbed at his temples, inwardly pleading for the hallucinations to stop. Or bring back Donna. Donna was easier to ignore than... The Doctor sighed, he didn't want to even think the name. If he did he'd never be able to ignore the other man...ghost...figment.

_'Or maybe she was shot like me...with Torchwood...or maybe a lover killed her, perhaps she left you behind old man, but either way you weren't there, you let her down...us all down.'_

"No! Stop. It." He shook his head in denial, trying to glare at the figment of the man he'd long ago called friend. "I said sto..." He broke off into a coughing fit, his voice choosing to give out.

_'See that one hurts doesn't it? The thought of her with someone else. Being what you couldn't. Telling her they loved her. Touching her, being with her. Loving her, never, ever running out of time'_

The Doctor merely glowered at him, ignoring the evil smirk playing across the ghost's face. He forcefully turned away and fixed his gaze once more on the far wall.

_'Ahh I touched a nerve...you should have told her when you had the chance'_

He opened his mouth to say something but the words failed to reach his tongue and he snapped his mouth shut again. Letting out a small groan as he dropped his head into his hands.

_'Hmmm silence, unusual...would you have begged her to go on living too? Pathetic creature, would you have wept over her too? Held her corpse and cried for her to live?'_

"...not…dead..." The words were barely audible - just above a whisper - but the tone was undeniable. Hopeful. Hopeful that the Mas...the figment, fueled by the tonic floating around his system, was merely picking up on his guilt of Donna and the Mas...his...deaths.

_'Then why is she here?'_

"Tonics."

_'You aren't seeing anyone else alive'_

"Not. Dead." The words were practically growled out but his face took on an expression of sadness. "Can't...be."

_'Why not old man? You left her, you don't know.'_

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Void...alte..alter...diff..rent universe...not here." He flicked his eyes away from the wall just enough to catch sight of the imaginary man's ever present smirk. "Not here...but...alive."

'_How do you know?'_

"I know."

_'And yet...'_

"Stop!"

_'I'm with you always...I love you'_

His head snapped up at the change of voice and tone, instantly wishing he hadn't. "No." He shuffled backwards further into the corner of the cell, moving away from the hallucination of one Rose Tyler. "No. Stop...it...stop...it...stop." The words coming out as a whispered mantra, as he clamped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

_'Fight! Help us!'_

The Doctor continued his mantra, trying to drown out the hallucinations but knowing his luck his voice would give out before the hallucinogen left his system.

_'Find me I need you!'_

"Stop it!"

"Snap out of it, man!" A young male prisoner edged closer to the Doctor.

The Doctor raised his head cautiously, upon hearing a voice he didn't recognise. "Wha?" Was all he managed, blinking up at the prisoner.

The other prisoners' eyes flickered with sympathy. "There's no one there...it'll wear off in time" He ran a hand over his scaled head.  
_  
_The Doctor's eyes flicked warily around the cell and he let out a relieved breath upon not seeing any 'ghosts'. He inclined his head in a small nod at the other's comment.

"You need to focus, they like to play with the crazy ones." He cautioned quietly.

"M'not...crazy," The Doctor replied indignantly. He quirked an eyebrow at the other prisoner, taking in his appearance and trying to match it to a species. "Umm...who.." His brow furrowed in concentration, trying to get the right words out. "Name? Species?"

The other prisoner blinked at his companions odd phrasing before replying "Dumas...from the Kurson outpost"

"Ahh," the Doctor muttered, nodding in recognition. "M'the Doc…tor" he added, holding out his hand and offering Dumas as pleasant a grin as he could muster.

Dumas peered suspiciously at The Doctor's hand, before deciding the other male must be ill. "Who's dead?" His tactless curiosity gave away his extreme youth.

The Doctor's hand dropped and he shrugged, trying to make it seem an offhand gesture. "Girl...I knew. Her...her...name was...Rose." He ran a hand through his hair, eyes flicking around once more just to be sure that the 'ghosts' were indeed gone. For now at least.

"Well that won't matter, we don't get names here, only numbers." Dumas explained "We're just prey...cargo then prey."

"Numbers?" The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at that.

Dumas grinned and proudly touched his chest "5479-1."

The Doctor frowned at the glow of pride that spread across Dumas' face, confused how someone could feel pride about being labeled a number. "Is...is that..." He clucked his tongue in an aggavated manner. "Umm...stands for...anythin'?" He eventually asked, hoping the other prisoner understood he meant the number.

"5479 is just my number the -1 is my number of cycles." Dumas' pointed face was proud.

"Ahh," the Doctor intoned, realizing that the young alien was obviously proud of the fact he had survived one cycle of this 'game'. "How...does...the err game…work?" he asked, hoping to get a different perspective of how it all worked - maybe this prisoner could provide him with some new information.

"They hunt us, we try to live" Dumas replied dryly.

The Doctor shook his head, eyes darkening. "Not...right.." He sighed, chewing his bottom lip slightly as he thought carefully about what to ask next. "What do…they…" He paused, tilting his head to the side and changed tact, trying to keep his words simple due to the tonic that made it hard for him to speak. "There are...winnings? always...are."

"Always, they release ten at a time, normally two or three survive...we're released onto one of Diana's moons, and you run, you fight, sometimes you have to kill. No Game without that."

The Doctor pushed himself up to his feet. "Need to...to…stop...this...some...how..." He started pacing back and forth, head down and seemingly muttering to himself. "But...but why...why the hunt...surely...surely...umm...not just for the...kill...and...why so...so…many..." He was cut off by a coughing fit, bending at the waist from the effort. Once the cough subsided he was able to finish his sentence. "...species?"

The response was offhand "Points system"

"No one...here...says, a lot," the Doctor muttered with a roll of his eyes. He shook his head and tried to stay on topic - which was? Ah yes, getting as much information as possible. "What type of...syst...syst…em?"

"More points for rarity...I'm low on the scale, off worlders are worth more..." Dumas moved to a dirty water trough, filled a cup and offered it, apologetically to The Doctor. "...Here"

"Umm...thank you." The Doctor stopped pacing and took the cup but raised an eyebrow upon seeing the quality of the water. "Rarity? What...umm...low on scale?" He sighed, hopeful that the tonics didn't stay too long within his system. He missed the ability to prattle.

"The human on third is worth 100 points, I'm only worth 1" Dumas said glumly, his lack of value may well have kept him alive, but it also annoyed him, being worth so little.

The Doctor shook his head, anger creeping across his face. " Price...on life...s'wrong." He noticed the expression on the young prisoner's face, disappointment or annoyance at the lack of value. All the Doctor felt was disgust and anger at the thought of assigning value upon living beings.

Dumas sighed "Perhaps, but it's the way things are."

He was overshadowed by the sound of dashing feet as a contingent of uniformed medics left their stations and moved to deal with a situation on one of the higher floors.

"What's...goin' on?" The Doctor asked, turning his attention to the cell door and frowning as the medics rushed pass.

"Someone's fallen" Dumas muttered dismissively "Keep watch, you'll see them bring them back."

He frowned at that but keeps his eyes on the door, awaiting the return of the medics.

In time the Medics returned, much more slowly with a figure on a stretcher one arm swinging loose and an ugly bruise forming on her left temple. It's Rose unconscious, as she's carried past her favourite hallucination.

The Doctor blinked upon seeing her and instinctively rushed to the door, gripping the bars in his hands as he peered through them after the medics. "Rose?" he breathed out softly.

The Master reappeared, smiling his hyena smile. _'Dead, old man...that's just a girl'_

The Doctor's breath hitched and he closed his eyes, shoulders sagging as he moved away from the door and back towards the far wall.

Dumas raised what could be construed as an eyebrow. "You know her?"

"I...I'm not...sure..." He ran a hand through his hair and down his face, letting out a weary sigh. "M'not sure of...any..thing..." He paused mid sentence in order to cough. "Not at...moment...any...way."

"Well if you do, hold on to her...someone to stay alive for!"

The Doctor nodded, letting out another sigh. Someone to stay alive for. Yes - her and the other 14890 prisoners in this facility. So many different species. A frown creased his brow as something crossed his mind. "What...what...do they do ...about...unknowns? Species...unknown...species?"

"They'll find out and if not...wow, you'll be worth so much"

The Doctor's eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. "Oh…no…I...didn't mean...me..." he said, hoping his tone sounded believable amongst the broken words. "Just asking...curious..."

"Tests, lotsa tests"

"Thought so" he muttered grimly. "And...tonics?" he asked, irritation evident upon his face. "How long..." The Doctor frowned, waving his hand in an arc as if it would help him find the wording somehow. "Umm...do they ahh last?"

"A day, then they give you more."

"They...can...try."

"Some it takes three guards and a medic, but they do it"

"We'll see."


	6. Broken Flowers

Chapter 6

A/N Please review, we're saved to eight alerts now, but have only one review, if you like us, tell us, it helps us to keep motivated and thus to keep writing.

**Chapter 6**

**Broken Flowers**

Rose was a mess, covered in various cuts and bruises from the earlier training session. Her eyebrow was beginning to close, but long claw marks marked her arm, and blood showed through the torn back of her prison garments. Her wrists and ankles were chafed and weeping from her restraints, and the Medic gave silent thanks that she was still out cold.

He checked over her injuries, shaking his head as he did so. His dark eyes flicked over to the guards hovering at his shoulder, watching to make sure he didn't do more than what was required. "Went a bit over the top with the 'training' this time?" he commented, as his eyes passed over the claw marks and torn garments. "The blow to her temple is what's keeping her out."

"She needs the discipline." A guard who'd accompanied them growled, glaring at Rose.

"Hmm...it would seem." The Medic murmured. He plucked a small bottle that was reminiscent of smelling salts, uncorked it and waved it under Rose's nose.

Rose groaned and slapped, unseeing, at the bottle. The movement startled her guard, who moved to 'discipline' her. The Medic moved swiftly in between the human and the guard, being sure to make it look non-intentional. "Do you mind? I thought the idea was to wake her?" He shook his head, ears flapping around as he did so, and continued to check her injuries - treating the harsher ones as he went. "Any chance of giving me some space to work?"

The guard grunted but backed down. At the sound of the door swishing closed, Rose struggled painfully upright.  
"The offworlder that came in today...did you treat him?" Her tone was urgent.

"Strange question to ask upon waking."

Rose's tone was soft. "Please tell me?"

He sighed but gave a small nod. "Yes."

"What was he?"

"Unknown, more tests will have to be ordered to decide" he replied flatly, continuing to treat her injuries.

"Order the new tests now...please?"

The Medic shook his head. "Male and female prey are not permitted to be treated together."

"Find him..." Rose let out a shaky sigh "...and I'll go to the Visier, you can have that honor...I need to speak with him! Please If I'm not mad he can fix things."

The Medic sighed, "I will try...but it will have to be brief. I can..." he glanced warily towards the door and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "...make out that the paperwork got mixed up. But you won't have long...and," he turned meaningful eyes upon her, "don't expect much speaking on his part."

"Thank you..,you're a good...whatever the hell..."

"Please, do not mention this ever again" he said, even as he moved over to the computer terminal and sent out an order, over the communication system to bring the unknown offworlder for further testing.

"Who'm I gonna tell? I'm not even going to get past this cycle doc...am I?" At the sound of the door Rose dropped back into 'unconsciousness', even as the guard hauled The Doctor back into the room.

"Put him over there" The Medic said, pointing to the bed next to Rose's. He was glad of the interruption so that he was spared the act of telling the human she was guaranteed to die during the next cycle of The Game.

The Doctor struggled in the guards grip, not making it easy for them to drag him over to the bed. "Let...go."

Rose shoved herself up on the bed, offering little resistance other than a quick glance at the medic, when a heavy blow from the guard knocked her back down.

"You can go" the Medic said, waving the guard away. "He is too drugged up to be any problem and the human female is in no condition to risk anything. I need no interruptions while performing the tests on the Unknown," he added in a firmer tone.

The guard glared at the Medic, but left. Rose waited until the heavy footsteps moved away, before rising and moving to the other patient's side. Her emotions felt messy and heavy. "Tell me it's you?" Her voice shook and a note of pleading entered it. "Please?"

The Doctor's eyes met her own warily, his pupils slightly more dilated than they should be. The muscle in his jaw flexed and he shook his head. "S'not real...not here..." he muttered, dropping his gaze to his hands.

Rose looked at him, her heart breaking as he spoke. "Burning up a sun...Please...I need you...We need you"

The Doctor shook his head again and looked expectantly at the Medic.

"She's real, I can't tell you if she's who you think she is" The Medic said softly.

The Doctor frowned and turned his head to look back at the blonde human girl. "Ro...Rose?" he asked hesitantly, still not entirely sure he could trust what he saw or heard.

"It is you isn't it?"

He nodded hesitantly, although the confusion and skepticism never left his face.

Rose continued to stare at him, taking him in, before throwing herself at him. "I told them...I told them you'd come" She held him close, her tears running into the fabric of his suit.

The Doctor sat there, blinking in confusion but didn't pull away from her embrace. "How?" The only word he could manage to breathe out, but so much was put into that one word. The real question being, how was she here when she was supposed to be trapped in a parallel universe?

"I don't know...after...I was searching for you, and when I found you, it was like losing you again, so I tried to get home, ended up on an outpost, they caught me...80 days...And it all hurt, so much." She was unable to pull the breath to explain.

His frown deepened and he tried to shift position to stare at her, but found that she was holding on tight so he stilled again. "Found...me?" What did she mean by that? She had found him...found him when?

"I got home, you were leaving, with someone...else"

"What! When?" he shook his head, trying to figure out what she meant. "Where?"

Our reality..."she tilted her head so she didn't have to look at him, so that he didn't have to see the pain in her eyes. "You had a hatbox"

He winced, a pained expression passing across his face and he closed his eyes briefly. "Don..na."

"So you didn't need me... they still did...You'd forgotten me..."

"Never" he breathed out softly, finally extracting himself from her grasp. He shook his head and dropped it into his hands, the reminder of Donna bringing the still fresh guilt over the red-headed woman's death into his mind again.

Rose let a bitter breath from her nose. "And now here...I tried...I can't leave without them" She turned to the Medic "Can you get me to the archive?"

The Medic looked startled at being addressed suddenly. "I...why would I do that?"

"My weapons, my communicator...I can help...I have to try" Rose turned to The Doctor. "We can get them out of here alive."

"Can't...save...every..." The Doctor let out a small cough, not looking up from his own hands. "...one."

The Medic cocked his head to one side, glancing from Rose to the Doctor and back again. "Many have said they can help...all fail."

Rose's eyes hardened and pain hit her again at the Doctor's response. "They weren't me...and would you even try to save me, or am I statistic too? Do I really have nothing left?"

"I..." The Doctor frowned, raising confused slightly glazed eyes to look at her before dropping his gaze back to his hands. "...want...to.." he murmured softly.

The Medic glanced over at the Doctor with sad eyes, before turning to face Rose. He lowered his voice so only she could here. "When he was first in here...before he was given the tonics...he was talking about stopping this...about it explaining why he was here." It was clear that the Dianarian didn't understand what he was saying but thought that it would help the situation. Or at least stop the human from being angry at the Unknown.

Rose smiled slightly and wrapped the Doctors long hands in her own. "I never ever gave up on you...you were always with me...and that's the Doctor I know and I love. Love!" She looked at him steadily.

The Doctor's eyes flicked briefly to hers, frowning slightly but he didn't utter a response.

"At first, I was only going to give him a tonic to quiet him" the Medic said softly, "hearing him talk...I chose not to" he shook his head, looking at the Doctor with slight annoyance and disappointment. "One of the guards found out and...gave him a very strong hallucinogen. I also gave him the quietening tonic. I had no choice." He added, hoping the human would realise that was why the Unknown was talking the way he was and why he seemed confused.

"He doesn't know I'm me?"

"Probably not."

"Oh..." She drew a deep shaking breath. "Then I'm alone on this. Get me to the Archive."

"I will try...but I can only get you in and out...I will not accompany you." The latter part of the sentence he stated firmly. He then indicated the Doctor. "He seemed most insistent on getting his...coat...back" he added, clearly bemused by this.

Rose grinned briefly, but the movement made her wince. She turned to the Doctor and raised her hand to his cheek. "Come back to me..." She looked at the Medic. "Let me take him with me?"

The Medic spared the Doctor a sympathetic look, noting the dilated pupils and the ever present confusion upon his face as Rose touched his cheek. "I can not...if I do not complete the tests on him..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. "I can only do some many things." He reached into his pocket and fished out a key-card, holding it out for her to take. "This will get you into the archive...it will also allow you to use the back corridors that the medics use, so we don't run into guards escorting new arrivals."

"Thank you...Keep him safe for me?"

"I will try." He glanced back over at the Doctor and sighed. "I don't know why, but, he seems like he could do something about this," he said softly, a puzzled expression crossing his face. "That's why I'd decided to only gave him a quietening tonic...to keep him lucid but also...he seemed like he would talk himself into trouble."

Rose chuckled and grabbed the key card "He always does...it's part of the reason I love him." She moved to the Doctor and kissed him quickly, before shifting to the back door "Tell him...think of something heroic, tell him I said that..." Her fierce face softened a little and she slipped through the door.

"Good luck Human" The Medic murmured after her, before turning his attention to the Doctor - who was currently frowning, his hand touching the spot where Rose had kissed him.

"How are you feeling, Unknown?" The Medic asked kindly.

"Con...fused," the Doctor answered, frowning whilst staring at the door 'Rose' had left through.

"Prisoner 5416-3 is attempting to save the world"

"Sounds...like...Rose.." he muttered, still staring at the door. After a beat he shook his head violently and ran a hand through his hair.

"They don't get names"

"Not just...numbers," the Doctor said firmly, being sure to look straight into the Dianaran's eyes.

The Medic avoided the intense gaze and ducked the subject. "I'll keep you here try and get that hallucinogen out of your system."

The Doctor nodded. "Thank...you."

"I sort of borrowed something..." The Medics' tone was a little ashamed and a little scared. He handed the Doctor his Sonic Screwdriver carefully, holding it as one might a phial of some dangerous chemical. "The guards were afraid of it"

Instantly, the Doctor's face lit up and a grin spread quickly across his face. "Oh! That's...that's..." His face fell briefly as he failed to get the words out. Letting out a small sigh, he held out his hand with a slightly pleading expression. "Please?"

"Not until the drugs are gone...sleep...wait for 5416" The Medic chided gently.

The Doctor retracted his hand with a sigh, nodding but it was clear he wasn't happy about his Sonic Screwdriver being kept from him. His expression changed to one of suspicion. "Guards...said...tests?"

"To find out what you are, they aren't comfortable I'm afraid" The Medic explained sadly.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow, his expression darkening once more. "Not...a...choice hmm?" he asked, although it was clearing more of a statement than an actual question.

The Medic shook his head and avoided his patients gaze as he fiddled with various implements, some innocuous looking, some, vicious, plain and simple.

"How nice." Was the sarcastic response, as the Doctor rolled his eyes. He'd let the Medic perform his tests...even though he was pretty certain that they would still find him as 'unknown' in the Dianarians' minds. Hopefully they wouldn't be too bad.

The Medic leveled an instrument at the Doctors head, and sighed. "I, unlike many, do not take joy in it."


	7. Memories

The archive proper, seemed to be organized by date, with the belongings of the most recent prisoners packed in at the front

The archive proper, seemed to be organized by date, with the belongings of the most recent prisoners packed in at the front.

At the first cavern she ducked into there was the newest mound of belongings, the Doctors' among them. She was awestruck, all these caverns, all these things, all those people, and then she saw it…The T.A.R.D.I.S! She moved towards is slowly, resting her fingers on the rough wood for a second, running her fingers over the lock. Somehow seeing the T.A.R.D.I.S made it real. The tonics made her think she was seeing the Doctor around every corner, until it drove her close to crazy. Even now when she could touch him, hear the sound of his voice, it was almost easier to believe she was insane than that she was forgotten, but through all the hallucinations, she'd never seen the TARDIS and here it was.

She tore herself away, whispering "I'll be back" to the battered wood, she hoped she wasn't lying.

Rose found the long coat lying atop a short handled blade with a vicious serrated edge. She wrapped herself in the coat, breathing in the smell of it for a moment, before shoving the blade in her boot.

It was unheard of for any prisoner to be allowed to retain their weapons and the guards were often lazy. She might just get lucky, and if she didn't, well she was due to die anyway.

She left the first cavernous hangar, and pressed on following the dates on the walls to eighty days ago, when she was taken. As she walked Rose thought about time, and about change, two years of training with Torchwood, of learning to adapt to mind numbing, soul crushing grief, of rebuilding damaged relationships and making new ones, that day, finding him, with a…hatbox, and then here eighty days of endless violence, she'd killed, she'd changed. Would she still be the person he wanted? Had he cared for the ones who came after her more? Could she do that again? Fall to his back and follow him when she had grown so used to being in command and in being obeyed? Would they live that long?

Reaching her own hangar, she glanced around, no one down here, there rarely was apparently. She grabbed her weapon, a small handgun with very few bullets remaining in it, and her communicator, which a cursory check revealed to be broken, to the extent that it rattled when shaken.

Leaving the hangar, she jumped back at the sight of an approaching guard, falling onto an exposed spike.

She dragged herself off it when the guard came past, and hid the wound in the Doctors coat, which soaked with her warm blood. She turned painfully and began the long slog back up to the Medical bay, to The Doctor, to The Visier, to death…

Initially, the Doctor had struggled. Instinct making him move away from the unfamiliar and rudimentary instruments that the medic deemed fit to use on him. However, he eventually ignored said instincts and let the medic do his job - not wanting his noncooperation to land the Dianarian in trouble with the Visier. And so, the medic had began his testing. Most of which the Doctor had labeled under 'B' for barbaric.

The mind probe had been uncomfortable at first; but not unbearably so; and he had thought that once it had hit the resistance of 'shielding' that would be the end of that particular test. How wrong he'd been. Evidently, he was not the first species with higher mental abilities that the Dianarians had captured. Instead of backing down upon finding the resistance, the probing had increased in ferocity. To such a degree that it had been painful. He had sat there, with gritted teeth and sweat beading at his temples, for what felt like hours; of course, he knew it had only been a mere twenty minutes, 35 seconds...36 seconds; as the mental instrument attached to his head tried to get inside his mind. It was only when he'd started to experience tremors through his body that the probing stopped - the medic noting something down before detaching the instrument.

Taking a break from further mental tests, the medic moved to the physical kind. A full body scan was performed on the Doctor, cataloguing his physiology - two hearts, extra ribs, low body temperature and slow pulse. The medic was surprised to find that, despite his scrawny build, the Doctor was actually physically stronger than most of the species around his size. He had been even more surprised when he'd learnt about the Doctor's respiratory bypass system. While the medic had found it particularly fascinating, the Doctor had not found the whole process of asphyxia fascinating nor necessary - he had tried to say as much, once he could catch his breath, but the tonic still in his system had made it nigh impossible.  
A vial of blood was taken and placed in a machine for analysis, before being labelled and locked away. _'Will have to get that later' _Was the Doctor's thought as he watched where the blood was stored.

The Medic moved on to a particular test that the Doctor didn't like one bit. Manipulating emotions. A different probe was placed at his temples and he felt it begin to filter through, looking for the emotion that would course the most pain...or so it seemed.  
With some prey it was grief, others despair. For the Doctor, it was guilt. The probe was designed to pick out points in the prey's life where they experienced such emotion and replay it to see the reaction. The Doctor had had a long life and had experienced a lot of guilt. But the probe chose distinctive points in time and the freshest memories it could find. The Doctor was forced to relive the Master's governing of Earth in the 'year that never was' and the realisation that he couldn't save the other Time Lord. Guilt over Jack's 'condition' and how he couldn't help him, and more guilt over his reaction to the man's 'condition'. Guilt concerning Donna's death. Martha and her family. Rose...

Abruptly, the probe was wrenched from his skull and set aside. The Doctor blinked a couple of times and felt something running down his cheek. That was when he realised he'd been crying. He wiped his face with one hand, while watching the Medic prepare a syringe.

"Wha?" He tried to ask but he couldn't form the question.

"The remaining tests require you to be sedated," the Medic said softly, injecting the sedative into the Doctor's arm. "It'll be better for you."

"_Ooh! Do you think he's going to slice you up? Take a closer look inside?"_ The hallucination of the Master's voice floated over him as he lay on the metal bed. Still drug-dilated brown eyes flicked over to look at the grinning blond man. _"Can you imagine? Prodding his paws around your insides, moving things around...Oh! Maybe he'll put something inside you! That'd be interesting."  
_  
With mixed thoughts of worry; over what tests would be performed; and relief; that he would have a reprieve from his tonic induced hallucinations; the Doctor succumbed to the sedative flooding his system.


	8. Really Real

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**Chapter 8**  
**Really Real**

There was a loud bleeping sound that announced Rose's reappearance. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were darting and haunted. There were fresh marks on her hands, but everything else was outwardly fine. She didn't mention the wound to her back. Her gun and communicator were buried beneath a long brown coat, which she held gathered about her like a suit of amour.

The Medic looked up at her abrupt return, critical eyes looking her up and down before inclining his head in a small nod. "You didn't get caught or killed then" he said flatly, turning his gaze back to the readings scrolling across the computer terminal.

Rose flashed him a grin "Only nearly." Her tone became somber then. "All that stuff...all those people..." She couldn't find the words to describe it down there.

He nodded but didn't look up from the terminal. "There is a lot," he said simply, making it unclear whether he meant the items or the people. He probably meant both.

Rose stared at him. "Why?" She demanded angrily "Why are you letting this happen?"

"I try to help as much as I can." The Medic straightened up, fixing her with a weary expression. "But, if I help too much...I die instead of them. I do what I do to survive. Like everyone else here."

"I suppose it's different for me. I've been dead once, so what if the second time's permanent." She looked around the room and moved toward the Doctor, who slept on a metal gurney. "Will he know me?"

"I do not know." The Medic spared the Doctor a sympathetic look, before reverting back to the impassive expression he tried to wear constantly. "The hallucinogen he was given was the strongest we have and..." He paused and looked briefly ashamed and annoyed, "I am unfamiliar with his, rather unique physiology."

" I am a little...I maybe don't know him as well as I thought." Rose's tone was achingly lost and sad. If she had been wrong, then all this hope she'd put into him coming back...even the hope that he missed her or remembered her, fell away. It was soul destroying.

"Maybe he has changed since you parted company?" The Medic offered gently, before returning to what he was doing. "Either way, some of the tests required he be sedated. He'll probably be out for a while."

Rose shrugged her way out of the coat, and spread it over his sleeping form. "I'll save you...all of us...I swear." She brushed the hair from his forehead and straightened. She sighed and spoke gravely with the Medic. "Call the guards, tell them I'll go to his Lordship "

"Very well." He moved towards the communication system, relaying the message from the guards to come to the Medical wing. "I must present his test results to the Visier anyway" he added, his tone grim.

Rose's tone became desperate. The truth would be the death of the Doctor "Lie to him...tell him anything but the truth"

"I can not...the Visier, he can smell a lie." The Medic turned to her, sympathy once more upon his canine features. "I'm sorry, I would if I could." His gaze dropped to the still form of the Doctor. "He will be worth the most any prey has been before."

"Then ensure he gets on my game, he's the only one who..." Rose was cut off by the heavy footed entry of a guard.

"Do we know what it is yet?" The guard demanded.

"It is still unknown," the Medic replied. "But...very old, timeless even. Most unique." He spared the Doctor another glance, intrigued by this unknown species. He looked up and caught Rose's gaze while the guards were staring at the Doctor. He gave her the tiniest of nods that would be barely noticeable unless you were looking directly at him.

Rose nodded slightly and muttered in a low voice. "If I die...oh he knows."

The medic moved over to pick up a handheld scanner; similar to a PDA; from behind Rose. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "They will keep you alive for the game. But they won't let you live through it. The top hunters will be called this cycle...especially with the announcement of an unknown."

"They have to catch me first" Rose muttered, allowing the guard to remove her with only a little dragging. The medic followed at his own pace, closing the door behind him. In his hand he clutched the scanner, pressing a few buttons to make sure everything had been downloaded to it correctly.

The Visier let out a snort as Rose, still dusty and bloodied fell in front of him. He glared at her for a moment before turning to the Medic. "It is messy."

The Medic shifted under the harsh glare. "I was running the tests on the Unknown, you told me that was priority..." he trailed off, realizing that this sounded like he was showing disrespect and bowed his head. "I will clean her up ready for the game my Lord."

"As for the Unknown, what is it?"

"I have no name for it." The medic replied, choosing his words carefully before continuing. "But it is old...timeless, I suppose. Very unique, I have heard of none other like it...human in outward appearance but his physiology is more unusual." He paused once more, seeming to have a internal debate before talking again. "One of a kind you might say."

The Visier smirked. "A high value one...well done. Your transgressions may be overlooked for now" His tone was threatening and sneering.

The medic bowed his head again. "Thank you, my Lord." He moved forwards and placed the handheld scanner on the table in front of the Visier. He let out a small breath. There, he had delivered his findings and now was just waiting to be dismissed.

The Visier gestured dismissively to Rose. "Remove it, get it cleaned up and bring it back, I want to play with it before it dies."

"Yes, my Lord." The medic watched as the guards pulled Rose back up off that ground and lead her back towards the door. He followed, not wanting to stay in the Visier's company any longer.

"What did he mean?"

"Quiet human!" One of the guards growled, tightening the grip on her upper arm. The medic said nothing. He didn't even turn to glance at her.

"He's gonna get pissed at another bruise."

The guard grumbled but relented, easing his grip and shoving her towards Medical. The medic moved towards the door and opened it, eyes widening at the sight that greeted them.

Inside, the Doctor was standing in front of the computer terminal; glasses on; and scanning it with the sonic screwdriver. And the sound of the door opening, he glanced up and quickly moved to sit back down on the bed. "Umm...hello?" He gave the medic; being the only person he could see at the moment; a meek wave.

"Oh...dear." Rose's voice shook.

Hearing the other voice, the Doctor quickly tucked the screwdriver; and his glasses; in his pocket.

Rose shook the guard off and moved ahead to block the door. "Gotta go, get ready for my big date with the Visier, don't want to show up all bloodied and bruised do I?"

" I can take it from here" the medic said tightly to the guard. "I will call you when she needs to be escorted back."

"Then I will take the male" The guard intoned.

"NO!" Rose cursed herself even as the word left her lips.

The medic quickly intervened, fixing the guard with as sterner glare as he could muster. "His body needs to recover from the tests before he can go back...you know that."

The guard snorted but stormed out. The Doctor tilted his head to the side and watched the guard until he was completely out of eye-shot.

Rose sighed and sagged onto a medical bed, not daring to raise her eyes to the Doctor. The medic moved over to her side, starting to see to her injuries and 'tidy' her up for the Visier.  
"That sedative should've kept you under for a lot longer" he said to the Doctor, his voice not hiding the confusion and amazement it held.

"He's not exactly usual" Rose responded dryly.

"Ahh...yes..." The Doctor gave a small offhand shrug, a slightly apologetic look upon his face. "Sorry...bout that...Oi!" He threw a scowl in Rose's direction, before frowning at her. "Rose?"

"Yep...Hi." Her tone was soft, distinctly breakable.

"But...how?" he asked hesitantly, blinking at her in confusion and slight amazement.

"No idea."

"I mean...you're...here!" he said, his face brightening - a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, before it fell and he narrowed his eyes. He glanced over at the other side of the room, his eyes fixing on something that wasn't actually there. "You...are...real...right?" he asked in a small voice.

"Last time I checked." She was so, so tired. "Are you?"

The Doctor nodded, still staring at Rose. "As much as..." He coughed, rubbing absently at his throat. "...ever was."

She rose from the bed painfully. "What did they give you?"

"Umm..." The Doctor glanced over at the medic. He was entirely sure what was given to him and he doubted that he'd be able to actually say what it was.

"A hallucinogen, as you know, and a mild silence serum,"

"OK fine..." Rose replied "Where the hell have you been?"

The Doctor blinked wide eyed at Rose. "Recently?"

"I waited...I waited...there are people trying to kill us." Rose's tone became slightly hysterical.

"I…I...I..." The Doctor shook his head, " didn't...know..."

"I needed you..." Rose turned her body so she didn't have to look at him "...Now I'm done, help the others."

"Rose...I...I want to...to...say..." the Doctor began gently only to let out an exasperated breath when he couldn't form the words he wanted to. "I...missed...you."

Rose turned back to him her eyes shining with unshed tears "Quite right too..."

The Doctor smiled softly at her, sadness creeping into his eyes at her words.

"I know I didn't wish you into being...so what are you doing here?"

"Landed...Tardis set course...heard...about the game" he replied with a shrug, stifling a cough. "Got them to…to...take me...find out more."

"No one comes here on purpose" Rose said softly, her dark eyes grim.

The Doctor frowned, blinking weary eyes at her. "Needs...t'stop" he uttered softly, still managing to make the words sound firm.

"He needs to rest" the Medic told Rose softly.

"He will." She turned to him "Promise me you will...they need you."

The Doctor made as if to protest but merely rolled his eyes, letting out a small huff. "Fine."

"I can always give him another sedative if he fails to" the medic offered, his tone not making it clear if he was joking or not. Probably not.

Rose smiled slightly "I missed you too."

The Doctor spluttered indignantly at the medic's comment but stopped at Rose's words, smiling back at her.

Rose turned at the Medic's gesture, to allow him to deal with the worst of her wounds. Cowards wounds to her back.

As the medic began cleaning her wounds, the Doctor sat on the opposite bed. He blinked several times as his eyelids began to drift closed.

Rose turned, wincing, to the Medic "What did you tell him I said?"

The medic moved away from Rose for a moment and pushed the Doctor none too gently so that he was lying on the bed rather than sitting up. The Doctor scowled at him but his eyes closed of their own accord.

"I told him what you wanted me to" the medic said, moving back to Rose's side and continued to treat her. "Why?"

"No reason..." Rose sighed. "He was never mine anyway." She forced her tone up an octave. "Am I ready Doc?"

"If there ever is a ready in this place," he replied grimly.

"There has to be."

"Indeed."

"Least I know he won't kill me today...I might make it to 90 days"

"Well then...if you believe you are ready." He moved away from the bed, waiting for her to stand up.

Rose threw a look over her shoulder at the sleeping Doctor and nodded. "Don't call the guards, I won't fight...just...just you."

The medic nodded in understanding, noting the way she looked at the sleeping man. "I will lock the doors so the guards can't enter here to take him while we are gone."

"Thank you..." Rose leaned over and kissed the Doctors' cheek. She stepped away from him and smiled at the Medic "After you my friend."

The medic nodded and moved over to the door. He held it open for the human, shepherding her out before any guards turned up.

"Better...much better." The Visier looked Rose over as one might a piece of meat.

The medic bowed his head. "I'm glad it pleases you my lord," he said, his tone distinctly flat.

"Ready for the new game...you were to be the top prize, until the Unknown appeared...How go his tests Medic?"

"They are all but complete my lord...the Unknown will be ready for the game."

Rose spoke quickly "Take me as the prize, give him his 20 days"

"The top hunters have already been called" the Visier stated, glaring at Rose. "They were to be called for you but the Unknown creates an interesting twist." He paused, cocking his head to one side in thought. "The Unknown will be the Top Prize...but...5416-3 can be a special bonus prize," he declared, an extremely smug expression upon his face.

Rose tried a different tactic. "And he's not strong enough to play properly?"

The Visier's eyes snapped over to the medic, accusation evident in them. "Is this true?"

"He is weakened, a guard mis medicated him" The Medic's soft face became a masque of panic.

"Interesting..." the Visier mused, picking up the handheld scanner the medic had left there earlier. "Now, from the medical reports he is physically and mentally stronger than many of the species...including 5416...unless this medication affects his physical capacity?"

"His mental capacity is much reduced...he even believes he knows 5416." The Medic pushed his tone, as if the idea was ridiculous.

"Really?" The Visier's ears perked up at that and a cruel smile spread across his face; or at least what passes for a smile. "Hmm...that could be most interesting..."

Rose's tone became desperate. "It's a hallucination nothing more..."

"But still. It would add an interesting twist to the game"

Rose turned to yell at the Visier, not caring at the risk. "Leave him, take me...do what you will!"

" This is not open to discussion!" The Visier snapped, his top lip curling to show sharp teeth. "Least of all from prey." The way he said 'prey' with utter disdain clearly showed that he felt himself superior to Rose and the rest of the prisoners.

"But she is correct, he has a sharp mind which would make the game more interesting, to give him time would be to up the stake. Allow him to be with the girl, to reconnect, watch how it changes them." The medic suggested in a slow persuasive tone.

"NO!" Rose cried out against it.

The Visier let out a sigh and waved his hand in a dismissive way. "Very well. But they will both enter the game soon enough. Oh!" His expression darkened and his fixed his eyes firmly on the medic. "The guard who administered the hallucinogen...who was it?"

"I do not know."

Dark eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

Rose saw what was coming and spoke up to protect the medic "It was Rynock"

"Rynock?" The Visier's eyes snapped back to stare at Rose. After a while he nodded in satisfaction. "Very well." He snapped his fingers to get the guards' attention. "Discipline Rynock."

The Medic leapt to the defence of the guard "He was doing his job...I was dealing with another patient"

"I do not care! He almost damaged a rarity!" The Visier's voice rose in anger, to damage rare prey was a punishable offence. "Unless you want to be disciplined instead?"

The Medic replied softly, ashamed. "No."

"Discipline me, I was the other patient!" Rose tried desperately.

"You were not even present!" The Visier growled out, snapping his fingers at the guards again. "Get it out of my sight" he snapped, indicating Rose.

In one swift movement Rose loosed the blade from her boot and lunged for the Visier only to be dragged back by a guard. "Now you have to do it."

"You continue to test my patience!" The Visier snarled. "Discipline her! Then do as the Medic says and put her with the Unknown."


	9. Reunion

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Reunion **

It seemed like hours later when the medic finally hauled the again unconscious Rose back to the medical bay to discover the door had been forced and the Doctor sat in a corner bruised and mumbling. The medic laid Rose out on an upright medical table and headed towards him.  
"Who did this?"

The Doctor's head lolled to the side, glazed brown eyes seeming to look through the medic rather than at him. "Guard." He uttered, eyes returning to wandering around the room.

The medic sighed. "Why?"

The Doctor frowned, thinking carefully before he spoke. "Was...umm..." He tilted his head and stared at corner of room for a moment; as if listening to something only he could hear; before shaking head and looking back at the Medic. "...was...looking...around..."

"When we told you to stay still?"

The spectral image of Donna appeared. _'Now look, mate...can't keep your trap shut and your head down'_

The Doctor frowned. "Needed...to...to...to" He waved his hand absently, trying to get the words out. "Do...some...thing. Shut. Up" His eyes flicked over to briefly glare at the spot where 'Donna' was standing.

The Master appeared next. _'Why the dead girl getting you down?'_

The Doctor groaned. "Don't...you...start," he bit out, not happy about the 'ghosts' being back - although, it seemed that he was at least finding it easier to form words again.

The Master simply smirked wider _'My Lucy she lived, I was always better than you'_

"Stop. It."

'_Why? After all you can't save everyone'_

"Leave...me...alone.." He groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

_'These humans, they're like mayflies, you could have had any, you had to choose the one you left behind'_

The Doctor shook his head. "She's...here..." he said, gesturing to Rose's unconscious form. He cast a pleading look at the Medic. "Isn't..she?" His voice rising in pitch, bordering on desperate at the thought of Rose actually being a 'ghost' also.

Donna reappeared again _'Left to die, just like me'_

"No! Tried." He turned back to 'Donna', a pained expression upon his face. "Didn't..listen...should've...listened."

The Master swam back into his vision _'All of them die, lights flickering out'_

"Shut up." The Doctor rubbed his temples, dropping his head to avoid the Master's harsh gaze. No! Not the Master...just a hallucination.

_'You lose them all...strangers loved ones friends'_

The Doctor buried his head into his hands, curling fingers into unruly hair, and let out a small sob-like noise.

"Hey..." The Medic spoke softly "...She's here...not awake, but here."

The Doctor lifted his head slowly and blinked at the medic, glazed eyes looking confused for a moment before he gave a small nod. "Thank…you.."

"80 days, I must have seen her 40 times...so strong...come, be with her"

The Doctor stood up slowly, swaying a bit on his feet. Once he caught his balance, he moved hesitantly over. "40?" he frowned. Such a large number of trips to a medic in a relatively short amount of time. Well, short to a Timelord...to a human it probably seemed much longer.

The medic spoke softly, a hint of pride in his tone "Fighting, taking training for those too weak, surviving hunts and discipline beatings"

"S'my...Rose..." The Doctor said softly, a sad smile tugging at his lips.

The Medic smiled "I hope so...I have to go, pick up more supplies, stay with her please?"

After a nervous glance around the room; particularly at one spot; the Doctor nodded, moving to sit on the bed opposite Rose's.

"Good, talk to her, try to bring her round."

"Umm...ok."

"Shouldn't be too difficult" The Medic turned and left, jamming the broken door shut behind him.

The Doctor sighed and looked Rose over, his brow creasing with concern at the various bruises and cuts she'd collected. "Oh Rose" he breathed out softly, "I'm so...sorry.." He shook his head and gently took her hand, letting out a sigh of relief at finding the hand solid and real.

Rose shifted, her hand tightening on his, but she didn't wake.

He smiled softly at her and tried hard to keep focused on Rose rather than the 'ghosts'. "I..." He let out a small sigh when the words  
he wanted to say wouldn't come out. "stupid…tonics."

The Master glowered from the corner of the room _'Still losing her'_

Donna appeared, her tone bitter. _'Always loved her more than the rest of us!'_

"Stop it" The Doctor ground out, but didn't switch his focus from Rose. "I...tried...to...to...save you! Both ..of you" he added softly, guilt aching in his hearts.

Rose drew in a deep painful breath, and shifted her bloodied hand, with it's tattered nails tightening again. She shifted leaving blood and hair behind.

He squeezed her hand gently. "Rose?"

Rose slowly and painfully opened her eyes. "You came?" Her tone was shaky and questioning.

"Hey...you...you're..awake." The Doctor smiled softly at her.

"I'm not sure. I always dream you've come" The question stayed hanging in Rose's tone, breaking on her next word "You never do." She swallowed back tears.

"M'here" he replied softly., grasping her hand in both of his. "Mostly.." he added, flitting a nervous glance towards the 'ghosts'.

"I saw you in the office, but the tonics..." Rose sighed "I always see you"

"Yes...stupid...tonics..." The Doctor shifted nervously, looking at her with still slightly glazed eyes. Hope evident within those old eyes. "S'really you? Rose...Tyler? Daugh...ter...or...mean...woman...who...who..." He trailed off, trying to suppress a cough. "...who slaps me?"

Rose sighed "Rose Marion Tyler, listed dead following the battle of Canary Wharf, the girl who fell in love with an alien, who she met, with a different face when evil mannequins attacked...enough?"

The Doctor smiled at her words and nodded. "Have to...be sure...that umm...you're not...a...a..umm...a ghost" he said softly, his eyes flicking briefly over to the corner of the room.

Rose flinched "Do dead people hurt?"

He shook his head, aiming a glare at the corner of the room. "Just…don't...shut…up."

Rose grinned "Well I never did that either."

"Neither did...I." The Doctor grinned back but then scowled. "Stupid...tonic."

"They wear off"

"Good. Got...nother...dose of...umm...hallu…halluci..." He rolled his eyes. "...tonic...while...you...were...were...gone."

"I'm scared they gave me one on the sly, and when it wears off you'll be gone." Tears rolled down her cheeks, the salt tang stinging her facial wounds and cutting through the murk of her face.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not...going...not without you" he said firmly, staring straight into her eyes. "and the rest."

"You always say that...and you're always gone"

"Oh Rose" He pulled her gently into a loose hug. "So sorry...wish...wish...I'd known."

"I tried to leave, but they won't let me go...and you never came" The words came in between gulped, painful sobs.

The Doctor rested his chin on top of her head. "Didn't know...sorry...so sorry..." he breathed out, his words barely above a whisper.

"You promise, you're here?" Rose's tone said 'he'd' promised before.

He pulled away from her, just enough that he could stare into her eyes. "M'here. Promise."

Rose nodded "Then we need to get them out of here" Her tone hardened.

The Doctor stood up, nodding at her words. "Been testing...tonics...umm...scanned...computer system."

Rose sighed "I can't wait 'til the silence tonic wears off...I need to hear you yammer again...I missed it."

The Doctor smiled at her. "Me too...so...much...want to say…" He trailed off with a cough and turned his attention to the computer terminal. "Anyway...Can...rig the computers...to...to...change...no...exchange...tonics...for...water..." His brow creased in concentration and he fought to get the words out. "Best bet of escape is...during...the game..."

Rose spoke in soft disappointed tone "I'm going to be in the game...we are...we're the prizes"

"Oh? Prize?" The Doctor blinked, tilting his head to the side. "That's...new one."

Rose spoke in flat tones "We're the one's they're aiming to kill"

The Doctor shook his head, trying to stay on topic. "Species in the game...can, can...the computers...rigged to, to...open up barriers on the...umm...course?" He frowned at the word, wondering if it was the right one, before he went into a coughing fit again.

"Then we run?" Rose asked urgently.

He nodded. "System...also...controls cell doors...can be opened at once...and...water tonics...the prisoners will be able to..." He trailed off and blinked, his voice giving out. He raised his eyebrows at Rose, hoping she'd understand what he was getting at.

"Revolt?" Rose said excitedly.

The Doctor grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

Rose sighed "So sleep is not an option then?"

The Doctor started to shake his head but stopped with a shrug. "Well...you..." He managed to stifle the cough before it rose fully in his throat. "...can."

Rose glanced at him "Is the cough new?"

He nodded. "Side./.effect of…tonic. I think."

"How do we change the programs? Fight it, talk to me!"

He opened his mouth to reply but snapped it shut again with a sigh. He held up the sonic screwdriver and waved it.

Rose leaned up and turned his face, so he had to look at her. "Fight!"

"S'hard...to...concen...trate" the Doctor replied with a sigh. He frowned, as he tried to explain the plan. "Umm...can recon...reconfi...alter settings from here...reroute...hmm...that'll sort tonics."

"And then?"

"Make medical...control centre...sonic scre..." He trailed off, letting out an irritated breath at not being able to say screwdriver. He held up the tool. "Can make it so...some…one...can...ahh...access all...controls from here...umm...open barriers...cell doors...at right time." He shrugged. "Not us...be in game...some one else...to be here..?" He quirked a questioning eyebrow at Rose, wondering if she knew of someone.

"I know who..." Rose smiled as she thought of Bree. "She doesn't believe in you, you know?"

The Doctor's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

Rose continued slowly "But then, the more I talked about you and you didn't come, I almost didn't believe in you myself."

"Sorry."

Rose smiled at him, and spoke in a soft tone. "Don't be, the thought of you kept me alive."

The Doctor smiled sadly back at her. "Not too...good...at that...lately" he said softly, his eyes going distant as he spoke, "keeping people...alive."

Rose spoke again, slow and distant "I used to dream that you'd turn up, in a dressing gown...like the first time I really realized I loved you, and save us."

He smiled at her words. "Never...said...before...tried...ran...ran...out of ahh time." He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Irony."

Rose grinned. "I hate irony."

"I..I..." He actually growled in frustration this time when his voice cut out. "Stu...pid..."

Rose smiled in understanding "I never stopped"

The Doctor smiled softly, "neither...did...I..." He let out a small sigh, the smile faltering as his eyes wandered to a specific corner of the room. "Should...start...recon...reconfi..." He rolled his eyes, not bothering to finish the sentence and walked over to the computer terminal.

"Burning up a sun..." Rose muttered softly.

He turned back round at her soft words, smiling at her. "Missed you...so...much."

"Good"

"Keep...telling me...keep saying...you're not here...that you're...dead too." His voice shook slightly.

"I'm here...I am" Rose said soothingly.

"Good...should know...he...he...always...lied."

"Who?"

"The.." The Doctor paused, his face turning somber. "The…Master."

"Who's the Master?"

"A..a Timelord.." He closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair. "I...I thought he'd died long ago...but he was alive...all that time..."

Rose stopped what she was doing, her shock evident in her face and tone "How?"

"He was...turned...human...his timelord essence...kept in a...a, well, a watch" His tone was distant as he spoke. "Hid at the end of...universe."

"You can do that?" Her amazement didn't dim.

He nodded. "I did it...once...not too long ago...this form" he said absently, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. "When we found him...it was opened...he regenerated. Stole tardis...left us there."

"Us?"

"Me...Martha and...Jack."

"Jack's alive?"

"Oh." He blinked, remembering that she didn't know about Jack and the last she was aware he had died on Satellite 5. "Yes. Alive. In charge of...ahh Torchwood in Cardiff..." He coughed. "He...can't die."

"Ahh, I got that job too, 'cept I can die." Rose replied carefully

"It's...dis…turbing" the Doctor continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "Try not to...let him know...that it...it...bothers me."

"Come on now, Torchwood aren't that bad." Rose grinned, her tone teasing.

The Doctor let out a small laugh, the first time he'd genuinely laughed for a while. "Meant...the not dying. Or rather...the...coming back to life." He shuddered at the thought.

"You do it...I saw"

"That's...different." He shook his head, "I'm not...not...univer..sal...constant." He sighed. "The Master...exploited it...the year that never was...he killed Jack...over...and over."

"You thought I was dead...what year?" Rose's tone was soft and almost awed. She dragged herself off the metal medical bed and moved until she was close to the Doctor.

"2008...umm...different 2008. The Master...took over Earth...aged me, imprisoned me. Turned the tardis into para...paradox machine." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, his voice catching slightly. "The year reversed once para...paradox was..." He frowned, trying to think of the right word. "fixed?"

"Well Jack's still here and so am I." Rose replied " There was no year that never was, not for me, just fighting and grieving and learning to exist, without you..." Her tone was soft.

The Doctor nodded at the her words. "The Master...got shot..." He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the smirk that the 'ghost' of the Master was sporting at the moment. "He...he...refused to...to...regen..." His voice shook. "Out of spite.."

Rose came to stand behind him, hugging him close, the movement making her believe, he might just be real.

He sagged into her embrace, unshed tears shining in his eyes. "To get...the feeling...of a Timelord...again...in here" He tapped the side of his head. "And then...for him...to...to...rip it away like that..." His voice faltered again and he clung to Rose in slight desperation.

"I remember that feeling..." Rose snorted "Hat box"

The Doctor let out a bitter sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Dead now...too. My fault." He pulled abruptly away from her, running both hands through his hair furiously. "Said no...should've stuck...with no...shouldn't have let her...talk me round."

"Why did you say no?"

"Didn't want to...ruin her..life..too" he said softly. "Like you...and Martha...and Jack. I ruin lives..."

"You didn't ruin me...You made me who I am" Rose said sadly.

The Doctor quirked a skeptical eyebrow at her. His eyes wandering over the many cuts and bruises she now sported.

Rose looked down at herself, suddenly embarrassed at her bedraggled appearance "OK, not a battered mess, but strong enough to live through 80 days"

"Wouldn't even be here...if not met me..."

Rose's tone became annoyed. "Yeah if I'd not met you, I'd be married to Mickey, miserable on a council estate...would you want that, 'coz' I can still go back and marry Mickey!"

The Doctor winced at her tone. "Of course...I don't...s'just…"

"I don't want not to have met you...I can't..."

"Can't change...anyway." He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry...just...feeling...guilt.

"Well don't. Not about me...I'm here." Rose replied softly. "Still...yours"

The Doctor turned his attention back to the computer terminal. There was a long bout of awkward silence between them, before the Doctor blurted out the first random thought that popped into his head. "Pompeii!"

"Huh?"

"Umm...Pompeii" He repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Was me. Had a choice. World...or Pompeii." He ducked his head and started to fiddle absently with something on the terminal. "Killed them all...me...I did it."

"Versus the world, forever, no contest" Rose assured him softly.

The Doctor gave her a small sad smile. "Still...so many people...s'not fair."

Rose's tone spoke of a woman who had seen too much, too young "It's never fair"

"No...it never is."

Rose floundered for a moment, the Doctor simply hadn't been there for some of the worst moments of her life, and she couldn't forget that.

"So, what was being human like...did you...?" The words, 'enjoy it' died on her lips.

"Ahh, well, umm..." He paused, trying to think how best to explain, which wasn't all that easy when he could barely string a sentence together. "Wasn't really me. John Smith...teacher...1913. Fell in love...odd man...liked pears." He cringed and pulled a disgusted face, remembering finding the taste of pears on his tongue after the whole thing. He really hated pears.

Rose stepped away from him, the pain clear on her face.

"What? What's wrong?" The Doctor frowned in confusion at her reaction.

Rose grabbed several phials and began emptying them down the sink "We...we need to work, before we run out of time again"

The Doctor continued to frown. He started to replay the last part of their conversation in his head, trying to work out what he'd said to cause such a pained reaction from Rose.  
"Oh. Ooohhh..." His eyebrows shot up and eyes widened as realization hit. "No, no...wasn't me," he trailed off with a sigh, coming to the conclusion that he wasn't making much sense at the moment. "Timelord essence in watch...John Smith was...was...didn't remember anything...I didn't think...that...well..." He rolled his eyes and muttered, "stupid tonic."

"That what?"

"I didn't think...that..." He paused and closed his eyes briefly. "He'd fall...in love." He sighed softly, sadness and regret creeping into his eyes again. "Ruined her...life too."

Rose kept herself turned away from him as she spoke again. "So the Doctor can't but John Smith can?" She couldn't look at him while she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "He...he...was human...less complica...complic...hard. I...I...can love. I have. I do. Tried to say it...ran out of time."

Rose couldn't hold her tears "Then why did you let yourself?"

"Let myself...what?"

Rose turned to look at him then "Run out of time?"


	10. That Conversation

Chapter 10

**Chapter 10****  
****That Conversation****  
**

" I...I..don't know. Messed up." The Doctor sighed, lowering his gaze from her own. "Talk too much."

Rose spoke slowly, trying to sound reasonable. "I...I knew you'd replace me...I mean you couldn't be alone."

"I never. Never, replaced...you" he stated firmly, his eyes flicking up to meet hers again.

"I mean, I know I was just a human and everything...and you...you're so much more than that."

The Doctor sighed and ran both hands through his hair. "You're not...just a...human. And I didn't. Weren't...replace..ments."

Rose faltered and turned away from him, her hands shaking as she rattled the phials. "But hey, I can kill a guy with my thumb now...and I'm changing the subject because if I don't..."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably and gestured to the computer terminal, "I should..."

Rose nodded, and kept her back to him. "They have something here...a healing thing, I should find."

"Healing thing?"

"I fell, on a spike, I've also been beaten up a lot so you know, speed the process up a bit."

"Spike? When?" His eyes widened with shock and concern, turning around abruptly to look at her.

"Went to get the damn jacket...see the dark patch?"

The Doctor blinked and glanced over at his brown trenchcoat that was folded over one of the beds. "Thought...was...hallucin...seeing things." He turned his attention back to Rose, his brow furrowing with concern. "You're ok...right?"

Rose shook her head quickly. "I don't know if I ever will be again...all those people..." She said softly.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Yes. So many."

"And of course there's the bit where I'm going to die"

"No! No. No more death...no more."

"No choice...if I don't go out there, someone else will...I've pushed and pushed until there's nothing else left, they can't let me live" She ran her hands through her filthy hair.

"Better...get out of here..then." The Doctor said simply.

"Will you take me with you again...or do I lose you?" Rose asked carefully.

The Doctor looked over at her, wearing exactly the same expression he'd had when she'd asked if he could change back after regenerating. "Yo..you...you even have to..to ask?"

Rose looked at him steadily "I do, because I was thinking in the archives...I'm just some council estate girl, why would someone like you...want someone like me around?"

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Why...wou..wouldn't I?"

"Well...something made you choose the others" Rose replied shakily.

He tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. "I think...they...kind of...chose me."

Rose choked back a pained sound, and made a show of hunting through the phials. "There?"

"What?"

"Healing tincture." Rose said triumphantly "Stick your tongue out"

The Doctor frowned and looked at her like she'd just said something very odd. However, he did as he was told and stuck out his tongue.

Rose leaned forward and applied a drop of the mixture to his outstretched tongue. "Feeling louder?"

The Doctor rolled his tongue around in his mouth, pulling a slight disgusted face at the taste of the mixture. "Not sure...may fix the cough...but...brain still doesn't want to...to...process words..properly. His eyebrows raised and a grin spread across his face as the uncomfortable feeling in his throat eased. "Ooh! Yes. No cough."

"I've told you...fight!"

"I am!" The Doctor shot back, his tone indignant.

"Fight harder...even if it's to tell me I'm being an idiot!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to call you an...idiot."

"Am I not being? All I want just for this moment is to hug you...to know you're real and I daren't in case I'm wrong." Rose said brokenly.

"Oh Rose. Come here.." The Doctor held his arms out, smiling softly at her.

Rose moved forward and touched his face, slowly tracing his jawline with her fingers, relearning that beloved face. "It's been so long."

"Yes. It has" he breathed out, leaning into her touch ever-so-slightly. He sighed his face turning sombre once more. "I'm so sorry. I should've known...should've known you were here." He let a small smile grace his face. "I think..._she_ knew you were" he added, coming to the conclusion that the Tardis had indeed known that Rose was here. That was why she had reset the co-ordinates and all but forced him to be here.

"I've been part of her remember?" Rose sank into his arms. "I stood on that beach, that same day every year."

"Sorry." The Doctor rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes.

"I kept wanting to show you things...my hub, is beautiful...my brother...John...he's so brave, so clever." Rose said softly.

"John? How..how old is he now?" He opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "You have a ...hub?"

"He's two..." Rose smiled grimly "Torchwood...it's my show now...Do you remember Dr Sato, Tosh...well she's there too, she helped me hold it together after..."

"Oh? Dr Sato? Ahh...spacepig." An amused expression flitted across his face. "She wasn't a real doctor, mind. Didn't let on I knew though...wouldn't want to demean..." He paused, frowning at the choice of wording. "Is that right word?"

Rose nodded at the word "She's a genius, and a good friend"

He nodded and then let out a heavy sigh. "Should really...get started on computers. Not lot of time."

Rose pulled away from him reluctantly. "I hate time!"

The Doctor just let out a soft sigh, before turning his attention back to the computer terminal. He pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began to move it over the terminal.  
"You should try...get some rest" he said, his tone soft, but didn't look up from his task.

Rose stood up, muttering. "Can't sleep properly without the T.A.R.D.I.S humming anyway"

The Doctor quirked a small wry smile. "Didn't say sleep."

Rose grinned at him "Fine, but when we get home I'm sleeping for a week" The whereabouts of home was obvious enough.

"Of course" the Doctor replied with a grin of his own. "I still say, you humans...sleep too much though" he added, his tone a mixture of amazement and teasing.

Rose shot him a teasing smile. "There are reasons to stay awake...and well, you didn't provide."

His grin instantly dropped and he frowned at her. "What?"

Rose let out a raucous laugh, and grinned at him, before turning back to her work, clattering phials and still chuckling.

Her laughter just made him even more confused. "What?" He asked once more, slight hesitation in his tone, as he blinked at her.

"Never mind"

"Umm...ok." Still frowning, the Doctor went back to rigging the computer system.

Rose waited a moment, before asking wonderingly " So you're telling me you never thought...but no you wouldn't...would you?"

"Thought what?"

"Well you know..."

The Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Me...you...us...you know?"

He shook his head, the still slightly glazed eyes added to his confused expression. "I'm not...not following..."

Rose sighed "Then it doesn't matter"

"You mentioned it...must matter to you."

Rose shook her head "It really doesn't"

The Doctor raised his head from the computer and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is this one of those...really doesn't...or...just saying it doesn't even when it...does?"

"It's one of those we'll talk about later." Rose sighed.

"Oh. Right," he blinked again. "Umm...ok." He dropped his gaze back to the computer.

She let out a bitter chuckle "Just like old times...oh you have a gun in your pocket...so maybe not quite."

"No I don't!" The Doctor cried, immediately standing upright and patting his suit pockets to prove he didn't in fact have a gun.

"Jacket...I had to hide it somewhere." Rose replied wearily.

"Oh. Right." His eyes flicked over to the brown trenchcoat laying on the bed. "Right...well...I'll...I'll leave that to you...then."

Rose's face flooded with a shamed blush and she stuttered out her reasons for carrying a hated gun, but however justified she had once felt she had been, she still couldn't look at him as she spoke "I...standard issue...I didn't think I'd ever see you again so your rule..."

The Doctor sighed. "Yes...Jack...carried one too." He shook his head, noting her flush of shame and changed his tone to one of carefree and cheerful. At least, he hoped that's how it appeared...his befuddled brain wasn't exactly making things easy at the moment. "Anyway...nevermind...as I said...I'll leave that...to you then."

"Sorry, I had to hide it. I tried to kill the Visier again...that's why..." Rose indicated her face with a hand wave, and wandered over to the coat. She picked it up between both hands, the weave against her hands. Her eyes became distant. She was a long way away...on a beach, in a ship, at a mansion, on a council estate, being the real Rose Tyler, if only in her mind. Suddenly, completely, she didn't want to die, and the possibility was all too real.

"Rose?"

She shook herself "Yeah?"

"It's gonna be alright," the Doctor said softly.

Rose turned to look at him, her eyes shining. "Is it?"

He nodded. "You...you trust me...right?" he asked, the hesitation in his voice not just due to the tonic that was still in his system.

Rose smiled at him "Always" She said gently.

"Well then," he smiled at her, "tell me about this...friend of yours...the one you mentioned earlier. You said..she might be able..to help?"

"Bree?" Rose chuckled "She's helped me stay sane here...let me ramble about you, patched my wounds, taught me some moves...she lost her brother to these people." Rose's tone hardened. "To these things."

"I'll stop this" the Doctor said, his tone firm. "I will."

"I know..." Rose said. "I never stopped...loving you, you know." The words were determined, something that she needed to say.

"Neither did I," came the quiet and almost absent reply.

"What? You mean...?" Rose's tone was quietly stunned.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well...umm...s'what I tried to say...before ran out of time. Rose Tyler...I..." He was interrupted by a loud couple of beeps from the computer terminal. "Uh oh."


	11. Just Like Old Times

Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Just Like Old Times**

Rose stared at the Doctor, her eyes wide. She desperately didn't want him to stop talking but 'uh oh' definitely won.  
"Uh oh? Why uh oh?"

"Accessed the...lifesign detect...detect...thing" The Doctor rolled his eyes at his own inability to talk properly but pushed his irritation to the side and focused on the matter at hand. "About six Dianarians heading this way."

"Oh...Uh oh..." Rose muttered softly.

"Yep." Was the almost normal carefree reply, the only thing missing was the 'popping' of the 'p' at the end of the word.

"Right" Rose reached onto a shelf and handed the Doctor three phials. "Payback" Her face was grim.

The Doctor blinked and quirked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Hallucinogen"

"I know...I just..." He frowned at her. "Well...seems like stooping to...their level. Doesn't it?" He eyed her, his expression giving a small hint of what looked like disapproval.

Rose eyed him skeptically. "You have a better idea?"

A grin spread across the Doctor's face, the aforementioned disapproval disappearing from his expression. "You even have to..ask?"

Rose grinned back "Missed you!"_  
_  
"You too...Now!" The Doctor slapped his hand down on the console and started to explain his idea. "Dianarians...are Canine...give or take a few chromo..somes...here and there...so their hearing is quite sensitive..." He paused to fiddle with the settings on the sonic screwdriver. "The right freq..uency...should...knock them out...for a bit..." He trailed off and fixed a glare towards the far side of the room. "..and I don't care what you think!" he snapped angrily.

Rose followed his gaze, understanding what he was staring at. She wondered what it actually was, who. With her it had been friends, family, team members, but mostly him, close enough to touch, just like before.  
She responded as Bree had, walking to where his gaze rested and judging properly to step straight through whatever he saw.

The Doctor blinked, his eyes flicking to look at Rose. A frown creased his forehead.

"Because of that stuff, I saw you, every day...I know, they're telling you you can't do this, that they never..." She bit her lip. "That you're failing, dying and they're glad? It's to break you, and it isn't real."

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I know...they're not real..." He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "They're just hard to ignore." He ignored her slight questioning tone. He refused to tell her what the hallucinations were saying. He knew it was a way to break him...but the things they said just cut to close to the truth to ignore easily.

"You had a better idea?" Rose asked in a hurried tone.

"Oh? Oh...right yes!" The Doctor changed the setting on the sonic screwdriver. "Right...if they come in...just need to press button here." He indicated the button at the base of the tool. "And it should knock them out...you won't hear the noise though, so don't worry...ermm..if think not working..." As he trailed off he thrust the screwdriver into her hand and turned back to reconfiguring the computer terminal.

"Just like old times." Rose muttered softly, falling back a step and hitting the button as several Dianarans burst through the door. Even though Rose couldn't hear anything, she gave a satisfied nod as they fell yelping to the floor.

The Doctor turned round and grinned at her. "Oh yes...old times."

"Now what?"

"Almost done here...then...need to work out, how to get your friend...Bree, was it?...in here during the Game." He paused, his tone changing to one of musing. "I think the medic could help with that...perhaps."

Rose's face softened "Well, I think he has a bit of a soft spot for Bree so it could work"

The Doctor quirked an i"ntrigued eyebrow at that. "Oh?"

"He helped her off the tonics...she told me to come to him." Rose explained "If he was going to have a soft spot for anyone, it would be her." Her fierce pride in her friend surfaced.

"Ahh...Then I guess he _can_ help with that." The Doctor allowed himself a small smile at the pride in Rose's tone as she mentioned her friend.

Rose chuckled wearily "The Visier's the only thing with a thing for me."

"Depends...on...what you mean...by that." The Doctor muttered, his eyes still firmly on the computer terminal. "May I?" He held out his hand for her to give back the sonic screwdriver.

Rose relinquished the screwdriver, a tad reluctantly. "I'm not afraid of him." Rose rolled her eyes "Gives him the horn."

" Oh..he's just a big dog...just need a rolled up newspaper."

Rose's response was unintentionally angry. "Chained and drugged? You try it."

"Ohhh...you should know, I'd try," the Doctor replied, deliberately ignoring her angry tone. "I just don't have a news..paper."

"I did try" Rose smiled slightly. "Nose."

"Ahh...yes." The Doctor nodded and quirked a smile. "So I saw."

Rose poked a now stirring Dianaran guard with her toe. "Could you hurry up with that?"

"Oh...right..." The Doctor turned back to the terminal. "Almost done." He ran the sonic screwdriver over the terminal again before straightening up. "Aha! There!" He turned to face Rose, flashing a grin at her. "Control Centre!"

"This isn't hurrying!"

"Alright, alright." The grin fell from his face. "Do you...have a comm...commun...commun..." The Doctor let out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

Rose reached into her pocket and put the silver device she found there into his hand "Tosh special."

"Right." The Doctor turned the device over in his hands, inspecting it. He gave it a shake and frowned. "It's broken."

"Best I can do" Rose replied "They broke my fingers at the same time if that makes you feel any better." She flexed her battered hands.

The Doctor winced and threw her an apologetic look. "Sorry." He turned the communicator over in his hands again before picking up a handheld scanner from a workbench. He walked over to where his trenchcoat lay. "They'll be moving us soon. Do they bring us back here...before the game?"

"They intend to keep us together...as a test...I heard them before they knocked me out." Rose said gravely.

"As a test?"

"They think we care about each other..." Rose's voice caught "That we'll be fun to play with."

"Ahh...o..ok..." The Doctor frowned, tilting his head to one side before speaking again. "But...do they bring us back here, before the game? If they do...I can recon..figure communi...comm..." He rolled his eyes again and didn't bother to try to say the word again. "...later...this!" He held up the handheld scanner, "needs to be here...linked to this.." He continued, holding up the communicator. "...which we'll have."

"Mhm, more testing."

A light shudder ran through the Doctor's body and he pulled an unhappy face at her words. "Wonderful."

Rose spoke softly. "Did they get into your memory yet?"

"...what?" The Doctor blinked at her.

"The tests, they get into your mind...play with it" Rose said softly, distantly.

"They tried...it hurt." The Doctor instantly regretted letting that little fact slip and gave an offhand shrug, in an attempt to make it seem as if the pain he'd felt had been nothing short of a small irritation. "Not...that much mind. Didn't get all the way in."

Rose winced and offered a sympathetic look.

The Doctor shrugged again. "Apparently...if you're 'unknown'...they do all kinds of...barbaric..things to you.." He snapped his mouth shut and cringed, he hadn't meant to say that outloud. Could be that the silencing tonic was wearing off.

"They do it anyway" Rose said softly "With me...with me they used grief."

"Grief?" The Doctor ducked his head, rubbing a hand round the back of his neck. "Guilt...it's always guilt," he muttered in an almost inaudible whisper.

" No, grief...that last time...they took that feeling and replayed it...over and over" Rose was distant.

The Doctor bit his bottom lip, his eyes still firmly fixed on the ground. "I meant for me...guilt...they did guilt." He shook his head, shrugging, his tone switching to an almost carefree one. "But I'm used to it." He glanced up and looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."

Rose strengthened her tone "No more guilt...not for me."

The Doctor smiled softly at her, but the sadness remained in his eyes. "They'll be waking up soon." He picked up his coat and went to put it on, before remembering what Rose had said earlier. "Can you...not keep the gun...somewhere else?"

Rose sighed and moved close to him, snagging the gun from his inside pocket and stepping away from him, sighing as she shoved the gun into the waistband of her trousers.  
"They find this on me and kill me...I'm haunting you." She warned jokingly.

The Doctor involuntarily winced at her choice of words, his eyes flicking briefly over to the corner of the room. "I didn't mean...I just...that is..." He sighed and slipped the coat on.

Rose sighed "Never mind...and you were saying something before 'Uh oh?'"

"Was I?"

Rose hedged the subject wanting to hear, but not in case she was wrong. "You were, about what you were going to tell me...that day..."

The Doctor blinked at her in confusion until his eyebrows rose in realisation. "Oh! Yes. I was going to say...Rose Tyler, I..." It was at that moment that the guards decided to rouse themselves and thus cutting the Doctor off...yet again.


	12. Lost Battles

Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**  
**Lost Battle?**

**  
**The guards roused cursing "What the..." The one nearest Rose spotted her instantly. "You!"  
Rose took a step back, dropping into a fighter's stance. "Me." She stated blandly, stepping back, painfully but deftly as the guard swung for her.

"Ohh...I wouldn't do that." The Doctor intoned matter-of-factly. "Last guard that did that, got disciplined by the Visier," he said, stressing 'visier'. He thrust his hands into his pockets casually, hiding the communicator and hand-held scanner as he did so.

Rose ducked the blow "That and I'm quicker than you."

"Hmm...That too..." the Doctor said with a grin, before quirking an eyebrow at the guards. "Are you our...escorts then?"

The guard growled "Could say that."  
**  
**"I believe just did."****

Rose turned to grin at him "Welcome back."

The Doctor grinned back. "Do you know? I've missed talking. Not being able to form sentences is really really _really_ dull" he said, bouncing ever-so-slightly on the balls of his feet. "Of course, still struggling with big long complica...hard words. But still!"

"Sounds like my normal day." Rose grinned, even as the guards cuffed her. "Come on then" She sighed softly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes as one of the guards grabbed his arms and propelled him towards the door. "Back to the manhandling is it?"

Rose shot them a look "They're good at it...got to be good at something right?"

The guard snarled "I can't wait to kill you"

"Hey hey...there will be no killing of Rose!" The Doctor said, scowling at the guard. "Actually...there will be no killing at all. Not if I have anything to say about it. Which, I have an awful lot to say at the moment," he continued, clearly making up for not being able to talk due to the tonic.

"You really don't" The guard muttered.

Rose ignored the guard "Thank god you're back!"

"I reeeeeallly do." The Doctor threw back at the guard, on a roll now with his speech. "I've been unable to say what I've been wanting to say since I got here! And I'm making up for it." He paused and tilted his head to the side in a thoughtful gesture. "Although, some of what I wanted to say is not really relevant now."

The guard looked at The Doctor as if he was something that could be scraped off the ships hull. "If I threaten to break her ribs, will you shut up?" He asked.

The Doctor fell silent for a beat before opening his mouth again. "It would depend if you're just threatening or will actually do it."

"Again." Rose said softly

"Again?"

"Again"

"Ahh...Shall I shut up then?" He asked quite unnecessarily.

"Might help"

"Right." He snapped his mouth shut and threw an impish grin at the guards. "Better?" His grin fell and he frowned. "Oh no, wait, that's still talking...never mind." He stopped talking again, the grin back in place.

"It's the Visier for both of you, then a shared cell." The guard smirked evilly "There are cameras, if you fancy giving us a show." The guard leered at Rose.

The Doctor blinked and frowned at the guard's words. "A show?" He asked in confusion, just refraining from asking if they'd be expecting them to sing and dance.

Rose couldn't hold in a snort "He's as sexually motivated as a spider plant so you'll have trouble."

The Doctor froze, eyes widening dramatically as his jaw fell open. "Wh...What?" he managed to splutter out, his voice squeaking slightly.

Rose let out a shuddering sigh and almost visibly gave up, looking away from the Doctor and sagging in the guard's grip. At the same time the Doctor's eyes were darting back and forth between Rose and the guards, blinking wide eyes and trying to figure out if he was understanding the implications correctly.

Rose watched him for a second, before turning to speak with her captor. " Let him go, you can kill me yourself...I'll make it look good"

"Rose!" The Doctor all but yelled, not believing what he'd just heard her say.

"What? You can help them...me, I'm just prey" Rose's tone carried a ring of hopelessness.

"You are not just prey!" He snapped back. " What's wrong with you?"

" Nothing." Rose responded dully "I distract them, you do what you have to do."

The Doctor frowned at her, before lowering his voice so the guards couldn't hear. "Rose, we have a plan...been through it...there is no distracting from you involved."

"And if I'm with you, who gets to Bree? Who protects you?" Rose demanded.

"The medic gets to your friend." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I don't need protecting Rose."

"You always did."

He rolled his eyes again and shook his head. "I'm not arguing this point now."

"We don't have time." Rose glanced toward the door.

"The Visier has to proclaim that it's OK to break procedure and to leave you together." The guard muttered.

"Oh of course. Does a lot of proclaiming...the Visier...I presume" the Doctor said loudly, raising his eyebrows.

Rose just chose to roll her eyes. The Doctor shrugged and half smiled at her. "Weeeell, some one has to I suppose."

The door that Rose had stared, wild eyed at was thrown open, and the prisoners shoved through it.  
The Visier ignored Rose, except to gesture at her as he spoke "I'm told this, belongs to you?"

"Hmm..." the Doctor quirked an eyebrow at Rose and then turned his attention to the Visier. "Nope," he said simply, popping the 'p' in the middle of the word. "She belongs to herself. I'm not in the business of 'owning' people."

"A shame..." The Visier drawled "I was going to ask you how much it cost."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed and all hint of humor abruptly left his face. "You can't put a price on a living entity," he stated, his voice holding an underlying threat to it.

"We already have." The Visier replied.

"I'm very aware what you think you have the right to do," the Doctor said, his tone unwavering as he leveled a hard gaze at the Viser. "But you don't."

"Your value is higher"

The Doctor shook his head. "No life should be worth more than another."

"Yours always was..." Rose said softly, before her tone changed. She spoke angrily, dangerously to the Visier "I don't know this man!"

"My life is no more..." The Doctor began, his voice sounding slightly frustrated. He trailed off and frowned at Rose, not understanding why she wasn't sticking to the plan...it was after all, a plan that would work quite well...hopefully...as long as certain elements went together at the correct moments. It was definitely better than no plan.

"I believe he was talking to me..." he said, starting to talk in order to stop the beating that was sure to come Rose's way if she continued to talk to the Visier in such a tone."Unless he's not interested in what I have to say...which is quite a lot at the moment...for a start..." He opened his mouth and held up his index finger, as if getting ready to spout of a very long speech that would probably about everything and nothing all at once.

Rose's anger didn't abate, didn't he realize? She was already dead, he wasn't. Her tone still carried anger and a touch of old pain. "That's our value right, knowing each other? Well I don't!"

"Would you just stop!" The Doctor all but shouted at her, his newly returned voice cracking slightly upon raising it. "There is no value...because this..." He waved his hand around, indicating the entire complex. "...is going to stop!"

Rose reacted to the shout as if she'd been slapped. "I will not...You are not the boss of me...any more"

"I was never..." The Doctor's mouthed snapped shut abruptly and he looked away from Rose. The stunned look upon his face, caused by her words, disappeared quickly behind an impassive mask.

The Visier's expression had grown bored and he signaled to the waiting guard. "Just throw them in...together."

"Excuse me?" The Doctor's brown eyes snapped to look at the Visier, confusion evident upon his face and in his tone.

"I don't care if you know each other, you will not disobey me"

"Oh? Will I not?" The Doctor's eyebrows rose. "Now _that_ sounds like a challenge if I've ever heard one...unless I'm misinterpreting." He frowned, tapping the side of his head and shrugging. "Brain's still a bit...wonky?...something like that...anyway...as I was saying..."

"Obey me or one of you dies" The Visier grinned "I'll even let you choose which"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Always with the threats or death and bodily harm isn't it?" He sighed. "Oh fine...I'll be a good little Unknown" he said sarcastically, thrusting his hands in his pockets and looking as non-threatening as possible.

Rose found it in herself to chuckle bitterly "Stranger things have happened"

He turned to look at her again, a look of total ordinance upon his face at her words. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"You behaving"

"I always behave!" He scowled at one of the guards as they grabbed his arm roughly and made to pull him out the room. "I can walk by myself without being manhandled thank you."


End file.
